The Phantomhive Diaries
by DCUnitedFanfics
Summary: During the Great War, Mey-Rin discovers Ciel's unbreakable contract to Sebastian and is now sucked into the world of demons and reapers. While keeping the master's secret, she begins to question reality and the morality of the people around her. But she is not the only one trying to keep it together. Ciel Phantomhive has trouble confronting his past and is descending into madness.
1. Introduction

**So, I'm finally getting back on track with my writing. To start off, I'm actually going to do a few rewrites that might take some time but not impossible to do. When doing rewrites, there will be changes to certain scenarios.**

**I'm going to be rewriting my _Black Butler_ retelling yet again but this time with a few twists. One, the chapters will be written in 1st person point of view which I personally feel more comfortable writing as I always had complications with 3rd person. Second, the story will take place in the 1940's rather than the 1880's. Again, this means there will be a lot of changes yet will keep some of the same storylines. However, changes include Undertaker driving in a funeral hearse car rather than a wooden cart, the relocation of the Phantomhive Estate, Bard being a decommissioned soldier after an injury left him unfit to fight the war and Finnian being experimented on under different circumstances during the Great War. Some events will be similar to the manga but other events will be quite different. Hopefully it turns out well. **

**Despite this story being Rated T, there will be some heavy themes and some bloody violence. Even if there is no explicit sex, sexual themes will be discussed. I hope you guys enjoy. **


	2. Chapter 1: Ciel Phantomhive

**I do not own Black Butler (neither the manga or the anime) or any of it's characters. Credits to the original story will always belong to Yana Toboso. I hope she and the others in Japan are doing well after this year's typhoon season. **

* * *

**_Ciel Phantomhive_**

**_Inverness, Scotland_**

**_April 3, 1941_**

_"__Mother! Father!"_

_I remember screaming as I ran through the manor looking for my parents and my brother. But they were nowhere to be found. Someone had broken into our home and killed all the servants. Even our dog Sebastian was slaughtered and gutted like a pig. I couldn't even see Tanaka. He might be dead as well. Though, I still hoped he was still alive. _

_We moved here to the countryside a year ago after a part of London was in the middle of an air raid which destroyed many homes and killed a lot of people. We were living in one of the greater townhouses. When the sirens began bellowing like mad, my parents woke me, and my brother and we went to shelter ourselves in the underground bunker at the back of the townhouse. We didn't come out of there until morning. When we did, several houses near us were destroyed. A chunk of our roof was blown off. We were no longer safe here in London. Father had then accepted to take ownership of a mansion that belonged to my grandmother Claudia Phantomhive. It had been abandoned for years since she died. My aunt Francis didn't want it because it held too many memories and it would be hard for any of them to own a house where a beloved family member just died. However, for the well-being of the family, Father decided to accept the mansion. It was in the countryside a few miles outside Inverness, Scotland. I hated the idea of leaving England, but Father thought we would be safe from the war. _

_He was right. We were safe from the war. But we were not safe from what happened tonight. _

_"__Mother! Father!"_

_I entered the study where they usually were. However, the moment I opened the door, I was shocked to see a man aiming a gun at Father. I couldn't see the man's face because of the shadows obscuring him. The only thing I could see were the brown leather gloves covering his hands. But I could definitely see the fear in Father's eyes clear as day. Father was standing in front of Mother, shielding her from the intruder. I wanted to enter the study to stop this, but Mother quickly saw me and shook her head, telling me not to do so. My vision became blurry as tears filled my eyes. I watched Father trying to talk reason with the intruder, telling him to put the gun down so they could talk civilly._

_I gasped when the intruder pulled the trigger. Blood and brain matter burst from Father's head, splattering on Mother's face and dress. Mother let out a blood-curdling scream at the sight of Father's body dropping dead on the floor. I was about to call out for her, but she got shot in the head as well, and her body dropped next to Father. I stared in complete shock, my heart pounding against my chest and white noise growing louder in my ears. Once I was finally able to process what just happened, I shrieked in terror and sorrow. _

_The man who killed my parents immediately spotted me and aimed his gun at me. That was when I regained my senses and bolted out of there as the man pulled the trigger. I ducked as the bullet struck the door, sending splintering wood flying. _

_I ran down the corridors in search for my brother and Tanaka. We need to get out of the house as soon as possible. _

_"__Tanaka!" I yelled._

_My nostrils quickly caught the smell of smoke. The corridors were filling up with hot black smoke which caused my eyes to water and I coughed profusely._

_When I turned a corner, I stopped to find the rest of the hallway engulfed in roaring flames, covering the walls, eating away the drapes and reaching the ceiling above me. _

_I found Tanaka on the floor near the fire, lying facedown like my parents, with a bloody stab wound on his back. I almost want into complete hysteria when seeing Tanaka coughing. He was still alive. I called out for my brother, but it looked like he was nowhere to be found. At that point, I thought he had been killed like Mother and Father. _

_I ran to Tanaka's side and shook him. "Wake up! Tanaka, wake up!" _

_I looked up as I heard roaring and creaking. The flames were above us, threatening to bring the second floor down to the ground. _

_Knowing that there was no time to waste, I grabbed Tanaka under the arms with the very little strength I had and dragged his unconscious body away from the fire. For an old man, Tanaka was heavy._

_I stumbled and fell back with Tanaka's heavy body on top of me. I called for help. _

_To my relief, my brother appeared through the smoke, coughing and looking just as horrified as I was. He lifted Tanaka's upper torso and helped me back on my feet. He was always stronger than me. _

_"__We have to leave! Or the fire will kill us all!" he shouted. _

_"__Tanaka is still alive, we can't just leave him!" I shouted back. _

_"__You grab his legs! I'll grab his arms!"_

_I did what my brother said and took Tanaka by the legs while he grabbed him under the arms. Together, we lifted Tanaka up and carried him away from the fire and out of the manor. I felt sick and selfish for leaving our parents' bodies to be devoured by the fire that was now destroying our home and everyone in it. But my brother and I didn't have a choice. It was either live or die._

_Once outside, we watched our home become completely engulfed in flames that were now bursting through the windows. _

_"__We need to take Tanaka to the hospital," I said while holding the old man's hand in my own while checking his pulse with the other. _

_"__Where are Mother and Father!?" my brother said while looking around. _

_My voice cracked as I tried not to cry. "They're dead."_

_My brother stared at me in complete shock and disbelief. His face turned ghost-white and tears filled his eyes. "We need to go and report to Scotland Yard."_

_"__But Tanaka is hurt. He's going to die –"_

_My brother was quickly snatched before I could finish my sentence. I screamed as I watched him get dragged away by one of the men. "No! No, let him go!"_

_I then got snatched by another man, one wearing brown gloves. The man who killed my parents. I kicked and screamed as we were taken away from our burning home and leaving Tanaka there to bleed to death. _

_"__Tanaka!" _

_We continued screaming for help as we were taken to a fate worse than death, a fate that led me to make the worst decision of my life. _

_I tolerated many months of torture and abuse. All of their disgusting hands and bodies touching me. But seeing my brother being stabbed to death at the altar was the final straw. I just wanted them all to die. I wanted them all to suffer a painful death. And I finally got my wish in the form of a hideous creature emerging from my brother's spilled blood. This creature took many forms. A wolf. A large serpent. A goat. And finally, a creature with sharp teeth and curved horns. All of them covered in my brother's red blood. I stared in horror and disbelief. That thing was real. And it looked pissed. It turned into a large snake once more and killed a few of the bastards nearby._

_I curled up in the corner of the cage when it slithered over to me and hissed, bearing it black fangs at me which dripped ink-coloured liquid. _

_"__You," it hissed in a whisper, "Your anger and hatred…It's delicious. I heard you…calling to me. And I came. Tell me, what is it that you want?"_

_"…__I…I don't know what I want…" _

_"__I see. You are still young. You do not understand." It took the form of the creature with horns and sharp teeth. "But you will soon. I am here because you called to me and I am here to fulfill your wish. Say what you want, and I will grant it to you. All desires come with a price, however. I can never change. And no sacrifice shall ever be regained." The creature reached out its sharp bloodied hand towards me. I simply stared at the hand, frozen in fear. "Choose wisely." _

_I looked at my brother lying dead on the altar and then at the rest of the murderous bastards surrounding us. My fear was soon replaced with boiling rage and hatred. I gritted my teeth in anger before firmly grabbing the demon's hand. _

_"__Kill them!"_

* * *

**3 years later…**

**August 12, 1944**

I sleep in my chambers, curled up in a fetal position and wrapped in heavy blankets. My eyepatch rests on the nightstand next to my bed. I'm exhausted from all the work I had today and needed rest for tomorrow. We have a guest in the afternoon.

"Wake up," a voice whispers to me.

It's foreign to my ears but at the same time, it sounds familiar to me, like a whispering echo. I moan tiredly but ignore the voice calling me, trying to get some sleep. Why must Sebastian wake me at such early hours?

"Wake up…You need to wake. Or do you really want to die again?"

My eyes open and I gasp when seeing my brother standing next to my bed with blood staining his nightshirt and trickling down his mouth and his eyes glassy and lifeless. I try sitting up, but I feel my body remain frozen on the bed. I can't move. I'm trapped. My breath shifts heavily as I panic and struggle to move, my chest heaving and letting out muffled screams between my lips. My fingers twitch slightly. I want to call out for Sebastian or anyone in the house that can hear me, but I can't even open my mouth. All I can do is lie there frozen and stare at my dead brother.

He leans over me until our faces are basically touching and gives me a bloody grin. I can smell the sickly-sweet scent of rot.

"It's time for you to wake up."

I curl my toes. This seems to work as I finally regain my movement and sit up from my bed gasping. The moment I do so, my brother disappears from sight. I pant heavily and look around, my own nightshirt drenched in perspiration. But this doesn't stop me from letting out a raspy scream.

I continue screaming until the door bursts open. Sebastian quickly enters the bedroom. "Master!" He quickly grabs hold of my wrists to keep my hurting myself and shakes me. Not that I was hurting myself. I'm not scratching myself. Or slapping myself. I'm simply screaming. "Master, snap out of it. It was just a dream."

I stop screaming and struggling. I simply sit here shaking from the shock and terror. "It's not a dream… It was a nightmare…He was there."

"Master, there is nothing here."

I look around, still shaking. Sebastian is right. There's no one here. And probably never was.

"Did you have another paralysis, my lord?" he asks, "Moments like that tend to make you hallucinate, remember?"

I nod my head.

Yes, it must be that. Nothing more.

I take deep breaths and manage to calm my heart and breathing.

It's just my imagination.

"Do you wish for me to call your aunt and tell her to come see you tomorrow?" Sebastian asks.

I immediately shake my head. "No, I rather not bother her tonight. Besides, we have a busy schedule tomorrow."

"Very well, sir. Would you like for me to make some warm milk and honey, to help you go back to sleep?" he asks.

I'm tempted to say yeas. Milk and honey always make me feel better, despite Tanaka always telling me that too much sweets are bad for my teeth.

"No, not tonight."

Sebastian gives me a strange look. He seems surprised that I rejected sweets tonight. "Are you sure you're all right, young master?"

I don't answer his question. Instead, I tell him to make sure tomorrow's evening dinner is done perfectly. No screw ups.

"I'm going back to sleep," I say as I turn my back and wrap my body and head around with the duvet.

"Very well, my young lord," Sebastian says.

I don't come out from the duvet until I hear the door close shut and the footsteps die out.

I sit up from the bed again and look around my chambers once more, making sure no one is watching me, before I reach for the nightstand next to my bed and opening the drawer. I take out a photograph in a square golden frame that has burnt areas. A picture of me, my father Vincent, my mother Rachel, our dog Sebastian and my brother.

I hold the picture to my chest in a tight embrace as I sob quietly.


	3. Chapter 2: Mey-Rin

**I do not own the manga or its characters. **

**Warning: There will be a few OCs in the fanfic but many of them are simply minor characters to move the plot along so they're not exactly major in the story. If you notice that Finny is absent in this chapter, you will see why. I have different plans for him. **

* * *

**August 13, 1944**

**Mey-Rin**

It's nine o' clock in the morning. Breakfast time. My daily routine has begun. I only have to do as instructed as always. Take breakfast to the master's chambers, clean the dishes, scrub the floors and polish the stairwell. Taking breakfast to the master is going to be a challenge, since he only welcomes Sebastian into his room. This is his job, not mine. Not that I mind. I'm just scared of messing up. Sebastian and the master get displeased very easily.

Unfortunately, I have to do this without question.

I slip on the round-framed glasses the master gave me over my eyes, tie my dark red hair in a chignon bun and get dressed in a plain blush pink dress. I've never taken my glasses off, even if they crack. I think I remember Lady Elizabeth trying to force the glasses out of my face. Luckily, the Master stopped her before she could do any serious damage to them. Or worse, I could have done some serious damage to her.

As I walk into the hall, I see that Sebastian already has the master's breakfast made. The only thing I need to do is take the try upstairs, without tripping over my own two feet, and set it on the that, I leave and continue my duties.

I take note of the contents on the silver tray. Kedgeree with cheese seftons, a bowl of apples and grapes as well as cambric tea on the side. The master needs a big breakfast to grow big and strong. His fragile health and his constant request for sweets worries me greatly. It's not good for him. Not at all. However, this is the young lord's house so it's his rules. Still, I'm glad Sebastian is able to make him a better meal.

I must confess, I once expected the master to eat a Scottish meal since we're living in Scotland. As a matter of fact, I thought my master would be Scottish. But no. Apparently, he's an Englishboy of French heritage which I find quite fascinating.

I use the dumbwaiter to bring breakfast up to the second floor since I can't carry such a heavy thing up the stairs by myself. I'll trip and fall and ruin the master's breakfast. I then go upstairs to collect the tray. Once I load them on the cart, I head my way to the master's chambers.

I'm about to enter his chambers when the door opens. I nearly crashed into Sebastian. I gasp as the tray slips from my hands but Sebastian quickly catches it in time and places it back on the cart. Oh thank goodness.

"If you can't carry the tray on your own, leave it on the cart," he says.

I bow my head while nervously fixing my glasses. "Forgive me, sir. I didn't see you. I really need to have these glasses fixed."

"Are you sure you don't want a new pair -?"

I shake my head. "Oh no, I'm all right. I can fix them."

Sebastian sighs. "Very well. Listen, Mey-Rin, I'll be heading out for the day to purchase ingredients for tonight's dinner with Lord Ilario Del Falco and I'm afraid I cannot attend the young master today. Would you be so kind to look after him while I'm gone?"

I feel my heart stop for a moment. What? "Wait, you're leaving me with him? I...I thought taking care of him was your job."

"I won't be long. Besides, he must learn I can't be around him all the time. I'm sure you can handle him while I'm gone."

A lot of things can happen if I'm left alone with the master. Ciel Phantomhive is unpredictable. He even threw a dart at Baldroy. There's no telling what will happen if I enter that room.

I sigh and bow my head in defeat. "Yes, Sebastian."

He gives me his usual charming smile. "I shall return before lunch."

"Oh, um, Sebastian, one more thing," I tell him before he's able to walk away. I almost forgot to tell him something important.

He turns to look at me with a frown. "What is it?"

"There's a protest going on at the town square. Servants are claiming to be mistreated and underpaid and are demanding fair payment. They're even throwing rocks at bystanders, can you believe it?"

Things have become difficult since the war officially began in 1939. The economy has largely been affected with property damage, development of weapons, conflict between countries and many casualties. Now, people working in households are having their payment reduced severely. Some of them are even getting fired from their jobs in order for the nobles to maintain their economy stable. The master has some trouble himself, with the Funtom Company still under reconstruction after the air raid. But he never fired us nor did he reduce our wages. Maybe it's because it's just me, Bard, Tanaka and Sebastian working at the manor. Usually, other large households hire at least 18 to 25 servants since mansions like the Phantomhive Manor are too big for just one servant to clean, which is a surprise to me. Just four servants and the house is always spotlessly clean.

How is that even possible?

"Hmm. I'm surprised you're telling me this and not joining them yourself."

"I like my place here, honestly."

He chuckles. "Good. I'd be disappointed if you didn't. Now, I'm off."

"Yes, sir."

Sebastian leaves.

Taking a deep breath, I enter the bedroom. The master is still asleep. If he wakes up and sees me instead of Sebastian, he'll most likely get annoyed. Or pissed. I quietly set the tray down on the nightstand and pour his tea in the teacup, not wanting to disturb his slumber just yet. At least when he wakes up and sees everything prepared for him, he won't be entirely angry.

The master stirs in his sleep, moaning lowly. He must be dreaming. However, his dreams are never good ones. I learned this the hard way the first few nights I spent here at the manor. They're bad dreams. Ever since his parents died in the fire, he's been heard screaming almost nightly. Sebastian told me and the others not to worry. It will pass, he claimed. But I'm not entirely sure. I'm worried about how this will affect his mental health.

When I see the master thrashing and crying out, I try waking him up by shaking him.

"Master, wake up…" I say, "It's just a nightmare, my lord."

Opening his eyes, Ciel sits up from his bed. I gasp at the sight of his left eye looking purple with a pentagram in the middle. When seeing me standing next to his bed and realizing I'm staring, he quickly pushes me away. I stumble back and fall to the ground. I sit up, my heart stopping as the master pulls out a pistol from beneath his pillow and aims it at me while covering his eye with his other hand. Trembling, I raise my hands in surrender.

"Forgive me, my lord. I didn't mean to frighten you," I say, my voice shaking.

"How much did you see?" he asks sternly.

"I...I didn't see much, I swear," I lie.

"Don't lie."

"I'm not lying, I swear." I don't like lying to him. It will just make him angrier. But it's the only thing I can think of to keep him from shooting me. Just like a lot of people, I have to resort to lying in order to survive. I wonder if the master does the same.

After a moment of silence, he lowers his gun. "What are you doing here?"

"I, um, heard you screaming in your sleep," I say meekly as I slowly stand up from the floor.

"Where is Sebastian?"

"He said something about going to town to purchase ingredients for tonight's dinner with Mr. Del Falco," I tell him.

I may not be the smartest person in the mansion, I won't deny it, but I know some of the names of the people that come here and what their occupation are. Like Ilario Del Falco, for one.

Del Falco is the head of the Poseidon Company invested by the Funtom Corporation. He's helping invest one of the master's factories in Italy and India. The Funtom Corporation is a toy manufactory company my master own. Despite not visiting it very often, he's still in charge and has plans of repairing the one set in London. Mr. Del Falco comes to the Phantomhive Manor to discuss business every few months. However, the Italian military joining the Axis powers and invading France four years ago had made it difficult for the English military (or any English folk) to let anyone who is Italian, German or Japanese to enter England. And my master is no exception. A few days ago, I heard him talking on the phone. I assume it was with Mr. Del Falco. I didn't know what he was saying because their conversation was in Italian but I could tell by the hostility in the master's voice that he was not happy.

I still wonder what exactly the conversation was all about and why Mr. Del Falco is invited to the manor for tonight.

"Sebastian left me in charge of you while he's gone," I say.

He frowns. "He left me with you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

That's the question I've been asking myself since this morning. "I don't have the answer for that, sorry. I hear there's a protest going on in the town square so I'm unsure how long he'll take to return."

"I'm sure he won't take long."

I bow my head. "I already have your breakfast ready. Today we have kedgeree with cheese seftons, a side of grapes and cambric tea."

The young master lets out a deep sigh. I can't tell if he's annoyed or disappointed.

He removes the covers from his body and swings his thin legs over the edge of the large bed, big enough to fit four people. His other eyes is still close. Apparently, the master lost his right eye the day his parents died which would explain why he's always wearing an eyepatch. But now, I can see that's a lie. He didn't lose his eye. He's only wearing an eyepatch to cover up the pentagram. To hide whatever secret he has.

"Pass me the eye patch," he says.

I take the eyepatch from the nightstand and give it to him. Keeping his eye closed, he places the eyepatch over it and ties the strings behind his head. He then holds the delft cup in his hands and takes a whiff of it. I remain watching silently as the young master drinks his tea.

"Do you wish for me to help you into your clothing?" I ask once he finishes his tea. He nods in confirmation and I walk over to his wardrobe. I maintain caution, however, as I'm afraid he might shoot me while my back is turned.

"After this, I want you and Bard to be ready for when Lord Damiano arrives," he says, "Have you finished planting the roses in the front yard?"

I sigh. "I've tried, master. Forgive me. But I have so much to do. I need to finish polishing the stairwell. I still need to wash the laundry. I've only managed to plant half of the roses."

"What about Baldroy?" he asks. "Surely, he can help you with that."

"He's busy cooking lunch and dinner," I explain.

"And Tanaka?" he asks but then, he shakes his head. "On second thought, don't ask Tanaka. We don't want him having an accident if I send him to work in the gardens."

Tanaka is the only servant who survived the fire but was also stabbed in the spine before he could try preventing the master from being taken, and has not been the same since. He now sits in a wheelchair. I have taken care of him this morning, giving him his medication as well as a bath. Baldroy even brought his breakfast early. Tanaka still stands every now and then but doesn't move around much. He gets tired too easily. That's why the master doesn't want him working in the gardens.

The master lets out a deep breath, looking frustrated. "It's clear that we're understaff. Four servants is not enough for a large manor. I need to hire a new gardener. Otherwise, the estate is going to look like an African jungle. In the meantime, leave the stairwell and the laundry to Sebastian. You take care of the garden for the moment. I want the grounds well taken care of before Del Falco arrives. Understand?"

"Yes, my lord.

He doesn't ask for anything else and begins eating his breakfast. I search for clothing in his wardrobe. Most of his clothing are black or dark grey. I find a few suits that are green and blue but I'm not sure if he's willing to wear them this afternoon.

"For our guest's visit, which colour do you prefer? Green? Or blue?"

"Neither," he answers with his mouth full, "I'm not in a festive mood today so black would be suitable for today's evening." He then smirks a little. "However, I should be making a better impression. It would be very convenient to show him the best of our hospitality. So, the dark green one will have to do."

With all honestly, I've never seen the master care much for his guests, let alone being presentable for them, even if it's a noble as important as Ilario Del Falco. What changed his mind all of the sudden?

Once the master finishes breakfast, he allows me to dress him. I don't feel comfortable doing this. Since the master doesn't know how to dress himself, he needs help, but it makes me uneasy having to see his penis while helping him put on his trousers. Why is Sebastian making me do this? I feel my face heat up in embarrassment. Once putting on his trousers, I proceed to help him put on the rest of his clothing. A white button-down shirt and a basil green sweater-vest along with a brown tie. I then help him slip on the dark green jacket and button it up to his chest. Lastly, I slip the wingtips over his small pale feet. I brush his hair as I figure he can't do it himself either. Is there anything he can do by himself.

"That will be all, Mey-Rin," he says, "Get back to your duties."

"Yes, sir."

"And again, if you tell anyone of what you saw, I'll put a bullet in your head. Understood?"

I nod before swiftly leaving his chambers, feeling lucky he didn't decide to shoot me or throw a dart at me on the way out.

* * *

"So, Sebastian left you in charge of the young lord while he's gone?" Baldroy laughs while washing the dishes. I remain silent as I mop the floor, making sure that everything is clean and spotless. "That must be a nightmare."

I nod. However, I wasn't the one having a nightmare this morning. "It was actually quite intimidating. At least he didn't throw a dart at me like he did to you."

"Oh shut up."

"He's really not happy about Sebastian being absent," I tell him.

Ciel Phantomhive seems very dependent on Sebastian. It's understandable. He's the one who brought the master home after the death of his parents. But I also notice that it's something else. Something more. And I have a feeling that it has to do with the mark in his right eye.

"He's always unhappy," Baldroy says.

I sigh, not liking how Baldroy speaks about the master behind his back. "Now, we both know that's not true. The young master does smile every once in awhile."

"Yeah, when he's making other people miserable."

I snap at him. "Baldroy! Watch your mouth."

"What? It's true. And Sebastian seems to enjoy it as well. Also, don't you think it's odd how Sebastian simply appears after the deaths of Lord and Lady Phantomhive's death?" Baldroy asks.

"We were all hired after the Phantomhive parents' death and we didn't seem to question it," I say.

"But we've been getting to know each other for a long time. I know you. You know me. We know Tanaka. And Tanaka knows us. We know where we come from. What about Sebastian? What do we know about him?"

I frown before walking over to Baldroy and punching him in the shoulder sharply. Baldroy cries out in pain and rubs his aching shoulder. I may be smaller than him but I know how to deliver a punch.

"You're starting to sound like those people protesting in the town square," I say harshly, "If the master hears you talking like that, you'll get us both in trouble."

Baldroy lets out a deep breath. "I'm just saying. Sebastian and the master know everything about us but we don't know anything about them. Don't you think that's a bit unfair?"

I hate to admit it, but Bard is right. It is a little unfair. Sebastian and the young master know everything about me and Baldroy but we don't know the people that picked us from the streets. Baldroy is a veteran soldier from Brooklyn. He was forced to retire from fighting the war at an early age after an injury made him unfit to participate. He still walks around the manor wearing a leg brace, something that he doesn't like talking about. He becomes very sensitive when the television shows news of air raids and other bombings. He actually had a nervous breakdown when hearing that the Germans bombarded London once more on August 2, hitting the Tower Bridge and causing damage to armament factories on the outskirts. Apparently, three-hundred-sixteen V-1 bombs were used in the attack and only 100 reached the capital. Today, an American submarine called the Flier struck a mine and sank in the Balabac Strait and a German submarine called _U-270_ was depth charged and sunk in the Bay of Biscay by a Short Sunderland of No. 461 Squadron RAAF, according to the news on BBC. Bard still has nightmares about what happened to him during the battle but I never ask, mainly because he doesn't want to say anything.

As for me? Well, my life is a little complicated. Let's just say, I don't like talking about my past either. Sebastian and the master have a few suspicions as I told them which part of China I came from but I prefer not to talk about it. All I can say is that I'm grateful that they found me. Otherwise, I would have ended being deported back to China for killing all the men in one of Scotland Yard's jail cell. Now, I'm a maid and I don't regret a single moment of it, unlike the people protesting at the town square right now. I'm happier as a maid. But still, Bard is right. I don't know Sebastian or the young master.

Just who are they exactly? I'm not sure. And I'll probably never find out.

There's a sudden knock on the door that leads to the kitchen.

I flinch. No one is supposed to be back here except for Sebastian, the master and the rest of us servants. The master is still upstairs so it could be Sebastian returning from town.

"Special delivery," a stranger says from the other side of the door.

It's a stranger. No stranger is supposed to be in the back. I watch Baldroy pull out his Browning Hi-Power pistol from his apron, ready to shoot whoever is at the door, but I quickly grab his arm.

"Woah, easy there, Bard," I tell him.

"No one is supposed to be back here," he says, his hands shaking against the pistol.

"We don't know who's on the other side of the door," I say. "I'll go answer it."

And that's what I did. I head over to the door. Of course, I look through the peephole to check who's waiting outside. Obviously, I'm not going to open the door to strangers. We've already had an intruder trying to shoot the master five months ago. We don't need another one breaking into our house. Luckily, it's just the local delivery boy from Inverness. I think his name is Niall Barrach. The lad is only eight years old with freckles and brown hair, always wearing a pageboy hat and riding around the city in his bike delivering newspapers and milk bottles.

I sigh in relief and tell Bard. "It's just Niall, Bard."

"How many times do we have to tell the kid to use the fucking front door?" Bard says, relieved but also looking like he's about to have a heart attack.

I roll my eyes and open the door. "Niall, you can't just go around back like that. You know that Bard has a gun and will you shoot you in the face."

"I knocked and rang the doorbell twenty times already but no one fucking answered."

That's right. We're far from the foyer. Of course, we wouldn't be able to hear the doorbell. "I'm sorry, Niall. It's been a busy morning. We have guests today and Sebastian is out in town."

"Makes sense," he says, "I got you this package for you from London. Well, it's actually for the Lord Phantomhive but since you're here, I'm giving it to you. You can pass it on to him."

"Well, no shit. Of course, I'm giving it to the master. But who's it from?" I ask.

"From the Royal Hospital in London but doesn't say the name of the sender specifically," he says.

I take the package outside to open it, a few feet away from the manor, just in case it's an explosive device made to kill the young master. However, after opening the box, I see they're simply small bottle of blood-coloured liquid contained in a wooden box with a glass lid. There are at least twelve of these bottle. And there's a note attached to the box's lid. _Remember to take them every week, Lord Phantomhive_.

"What is it?" Niall asks curiously while trying to look over my arm.

"Hmm. I suppose the master should be taking these." I then look at Niall. "How much do I need to pay you?"

"19 pounds," he says, smirking.

"19 pounds? Really? For a small packaging?"

"Don't blame me, lass. Blame the economy," he chuckles slyly.

I groan in annoyance before giving Niall the money. "Here, maybe you'll get better clothes with that. Now, get the fuck off our property before I tell Bard to shoot you, you asspiece."

Niall chuckles and gets on his bicycle before riding away. "Bite ma bawsack ye radge wee shite!"

I growl and grab a rock in attempt to throw it at him but I immediately change my mind and let it go. He's just a kid. A doaty bampot to be exact. Great, now I'm starting to talk like him.

I reenter the kitchen and show Baldroy the package. "It's just some bottles. I think the master is supposed to take these."

"They don't have explosive devices, do they?"

"No, I checked. It's fine."

"What did Niall call you this time?" he asks. "I don't really understand the slangs here."

"He called me a crazy shit and told me to eat his balls," I tell him.

"Why that little shit," he snarls.

I laugh a little. "It's fine. That's how we sometimes talk."

"So, you're going to take that to the master?"

"I have to. I mean, no one else here is going to do it."

A bell above the kitchen door rings, a sign that Ciel Phantomhive is calling. Each bell hanging on the wall has a label beneath it. One for each room. The bell labelled STUDY is ringing. The master is calling from the study. I sigh once more. That must be for me.

Baldroy sighs in annoyance. "Sebastian left you in charge of him. He's your problem now."

I let out a deep breath as well. This is going to be a long day. Hopefully, it will all be over once Sebastian returns from town.

* * *

**If you guys are wondering why Finnian is not in this chapter, it is because he will be introduced much later on in the story. Don't worry, I'm not removing him from the story. He just has a different introduction. **

**Anyways, thank you for those who read the chapter. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of this new version of the retelling of Black Butler. I will be delivering new chapters quite soon. **


	4. Chapter 3: Sebastian Michaelis

**Sebastian Michaelis **

After leaving Mey-Rin to tend to the master, I head out for Inverness. Tonight we are having pickled sour lobster and simmered hazelnut lamb. And for dessert, we'll be having Chocolate and White Wine Tart. Unfortunately, Baldroy forgot the hazelnuts so I have to go buy them myself and return before lunchtime. I just hope the rest of the servants don't make a mess of the house while I'm gone. I was actually hesitant of leaving the young master in the care of the maid as she is very short-sighted and not very right in the head. I fear she might accidentally kill my master in an accident. I hope not. If she ends up ruining my meal, I will make sure she regrets the day she was born.

I park the black 1937 Cord next to the sidewalk in the heart of Inverness and step out. I'm still not used to driving a vehicle like this. The first time I tried driving it, I nearly crashed into a tree. It took some time, practice, patience and plenty of observation before finally being able to drive the car on the first three weeks when I began to work as a butler. Despite being old-fashioned, I honestly prefer this new type of transportation rather than driving a carriage. It's much faster than whipping a horse. And less tiresome for the arms.

As he heads for the covered market, he sees the group of workers gathered together in the town square, shouting at bystanders while holding up wooden signs with obscene words written in red paint. They must be the servants Mey-Rin has been talking about. For a moment, Sebastian mistook them for ordinary Scottish citizens because of their common middle-class clothes but he can tell that their shoes are finer than ordinary civilian clothes. Fresh and well-polished shoes like that can only be worn by servants that work at mansions.

_Ungrateful runts_.

I enter the covered market and head for the store where they sell nuts, spices and bread. I go up to Beathan Breac, the owner of the store. An elderly Scottish man in a white apron and striped shirt. Behind him, the television is broadcasting news from the master's home city London. It seems that Finnish won the Battle of Ilomansti. How unfortunate for the Soviets since Finland is somewhat indirectly aiding the German Army but fortunate for the Finnish. I'll give them a week before they start fighting with another country again. Honestly, I wish I can go all the way to Hitler's place and shoot him in the face myself to end this bloody war. I'm tired of hearing news of bombings and I'm sick of seeing Bard going insane every time he hears about the Third Reich attacking again.

"_Gabh mo leisgeul_ (Excuse me)," I speak up in Gaelic. Most of the Scottish here speak English like most of us Englishfolk. However, the store owner doesn't speak English much. I am not an expert in Gaelic. I'm still learning the language.

"_Tha? _(Yes?)" the store owner says.

"_Cnothan calltainn?_ (Hazelnuts?)"

"_Thall an siud_ (Over there)." He points at the other side of the store where there rows of sackcloths full of various nuts tucked in woven baskets.

I bow my head. "_Tapadh leat _(Thank you)"

I go to the rows of sackcloths and continue my search until I finally found the basket full of fresh brown hazelnuts. The fresher the better, that's what most cooks always say. The master and our guest will prefer the quality of the food to be fresh and well. It would be ghastly if I return to the manor with rotten nuts covered in maggots despite the idea of it being amusing. I pick out a handful of hazelnuts and shove it inside a small sackcloth. I do this five times until the bag is completely full.

"Oi, Sebastian."

I turn my head to the store's entrance and see a small eight-year-old boy with freckles and brown hair covered with a pageboy hat. He's holding the handles of his bike to his side, the basket almost empty of milk bottles and newspapers. I sigh. Shit, it's Niall again. What an unfortunate time to run into that boy, always when I'm busy.

"What is it now, Niall?" I ask, rolling his eyes.

He leaves the bike at the entrance and proceeds to enter the shop with his hands in his pants' pocket. I'd like to slap the smug look off that face every time he interrupts. Unfortunately, I can't. He'll just go home whining to his mother. And his mother is a pest already. "Your maid is a nutcase, you know that?" he says, "And so is your cook. He nearly shot me with his gun."

"Let me guess, you tried to get through the backdoor again," I say, despite knowing the answer to that.

"Um, maybe?" he says, biting his lower lip and his eyes looking down at his muddy shoes.

"Well, that's your own fault," I tell him, "You shouldn't be going through the back like that in the first place. You should have used the front door."

"I tried using the front door but no one was fucking answering me."

"Well, sorry but that's not my problem." I finish gathering the hazelnuts and head for the counter to pay for them. "The young master has a guest tonight and everything must be perfect. And I'd watch your language if I were you. If your mother hears you swearing, she'll cut off your tongue."

"Nah, Mathair is busy these days."

"Working on the streets again?"

He shakes his head. "No, not anymore. She's not getting enough clients since the war started. She started working as a cook at the Foirbeis House in Charles Street. She's trying to earn more money to feed me and those English rich bastards staying at our house."

I frown at him. What the bloody hell is he talking about? I thought he, his mother and his brother live alone. "English bastards?"

"Not that you and your master are bastards. It's just those kids living in my house, Paul, Horace and Edmund. My mother agreed to take care of them for a friend of hers but they're just a bunch of spoiled brats. Just because they're family is rich, they think they can live however they want in my house and Mathair is treating them like kings while I have to act like their fucking servant. Not to mention that she's making babysit my brother."

I roll my eyes once again. I really don't have any interest in listening to his woes. I've had enough woes listening to his mother making phone calls and sending letters to me weekly. I try to be polite whenever I receive a phone call from Niall's mother but at the same times, I have the deepest desire of plunging my fist through her chest and tearing her throat out. I am patient but not that patient.

As I take out money to pay for the hazelnuts, the storeowner raises the volume of the television which is a bit of an annoyance. He's partially deaf though, so I'll let it slide. I see the British news broadcasting live footage of people boarding off ships and into British lands, all of the passengers looking estranged and confused. I frown as well. I assume they're not natives of England but foreigners despite looking similar to us. Photographs take pictures of them. Elders and groups of children wearing tags and carrying luggage are being led away from the ships and the reporters by the British Army.

"_This just in, King George and the British government are allowing to take in German refugees with open arms." _

Ah, so that's what it is then. They're all German civilians fleeing from the war in the greater countries of Europe. I've been hearing similar stories. Jews and Czechs fleeing to American and England. Even the Japanese are fleeing from their own country to get away from the vicious war that's consuming innocent bystanders.

I'm rather surprised they're accepted German children into England though. On the September of 1939, a large number of Germans living in Britain were arrested by police because the government were afraid they might be Nazi spies pretending to be refugees. Most of the Germans living in Britain were Jewish, of course, as well as opponents who did not agree with Hitler's rule. The German refugees were interned and held in various camps all over Britain. Like many refugees, they eventually appeared before tribunals that classified them into three different groups. 'A' class refugees were interned. 'B' class refugees were allowed to leave the camps but with certain restrictions placed upon their movements. The vast majority of refugees were identified as 'C' class aliens and were allowed to go free.

However, I can see that not everyone seems to be happy about German civilians arriving to my master's country. I see protesters on the screen of the television, yelling obscenity and throwing objects at the refugees as they're being led away by the soldiers. They're even holding up signs of the Swastika crossed out with red paint. There's no telling what will happen to those women and children. But with all honesty, I don't really care. I'm simply here on this earth for my master's soul and nothing more. I don't care for human situations.

I see Mr Breac shake his head in disappointment with a look of disgust on his face, before coming over to take my payment. He doesn't seem to like the idea of German children coming here either. I look down at Niall, noticing the fearful look in his eyes.

"Niall," I say and he looks at me, "I doubt every German is allied with Hitler."

"How would you know?"

"Oh look how scary, a three-year-old German boy carrying a teddy bear coming to England. What's he going to do? Throw it at me?" I pay for the hazelnuts and bow to Mr Breac. "_Tapadh leat_ (Thank you)."

"You know," Niall says, "If it weren't for the Germans, the bastards wouldn't be staying at my house and I wouldn't be sleeping in the boiler room. It's their fault we're in this shit in the first place."

"With all honesty, I think that if it weren't for Hitler, those German kids wouldn't be here so it's not actually they're fault," I say.

"I thought all Germans supported Hitler."

"Well, that's what a lot of people think but even Germans are trying to get away from the madman."

Niall sighs and heads back to his bicycle. "One thing's for sure, those kids aren't going to be easily welcomed by the English folk."

I chuckle in amusement. "Oh no, they will definitely be hated and discriminated because of their race. But that's England's problem right now. Not ours. Now, go home Niall. And please, tell your mother to stop calling me. It's becoming a nuisance."

"She's not going to stop until you see her."

"Tell her to stop or I'm calling the police. I mean it, Niall."

"Just go see her and she'll stop. See ya, Sebastian," Niall says before riding away.

I sigh in annoyance. That bloody brat needs to mind his own business. If the king wants to open his doors to German refugees, that's his choice, not ours. And if I don't want to get involved in Moira's family drama, that's my choice as well. I will not make myself responsible for something that's not even mine.

After finishing purchasing the hazelnuts, I exit the market and head back to the car. I still see those bloody protesters still shouting nonsense. Unfortunately, one of the protesters sees me and hurries after me. Shit. I quickly get in my car and shut the door. She knocks on my window. I sigh and roll down the window. Might as well listen to what she and her little friends are pestering about.

"Sir, did you know your master is abusing you!?" the lady shouts, her shrill voice ringing in my ears and almost deafening me.

"No need to shout, miss, I can hear you just fine," I tell her.

"Sir, did you know your master is abusing you?"

"Define abuse, miss," I say without making eye-contact with her. How the hell did she even know I'm a servant? Does my uniform make it that obvious?

"Underpayment! Long hours of extra work without pay! They even get some of us fired just so they save their fucking money! They don't care if we have families to feed!" the lady continues shouting. "If we don't do something about it, they're going to fire all of us and we'll be on the streets begging for scraps! They'll fire you too and every other servant in your house."

I smirk a little. Honestly, how naïve can this bitch be. "My dear lady, you're mistaken. My master would never fire me. He needs me. And even if he did try to fire me, he has no other choice. He's stuck with me until the very end. So, I'd try minding my own business if I were you. Not all servants are being abused by their masters. You're so blinded by rage that you probably don't realize that the real reason you were fired was because you couldn't keep your bloody mouth shut."

I roll up the window and ignite the car before driving away, yet I can still hear the ignorant woman still shouting at me while swinging her sign around. The words STOP ABUSE are written on the sign in bold red. "We're not blind, sir! You're blind!"

I roll my eyes once more. The lady probably has no idea how worse things were for servants back in the 1800's. She should have seen my last master. Oh how he would have liked her.

I turn on the radio and listen to Jimmie Davis' _You Are My Sunshine_ on the way back to the manor. A ridiculous song but the singer does have nice vocals. I'll give him that.


	5. Chapter 4: Finn

**I am not very good at German. This is mainly Google Translate so I might have made some mistranslation.**

**A song is borrowed from Season 3 of Penny Dreadful which is also one of my favourite shows.**

* * *

**Finn**

"_When I was young and scared of the Lord, my mother would sing me a song. A tune that I keep in a sacred place because I know that my life won't be long. It tells of the place where you go when your time here on Earth is through. A beautiful place we call Heaven. Is it true? Please God I pray it's true_…"

The boy watches the young lady dressed in brown ragged clothes cradle a whimpering baby in her arms while singing that song. Children his age, younger or older, are huddled together in a corner to keep warm as the chilly sea air bites their skin. The boy has never been to the sea before. He's only seen them in pictures his "Father" used to show him in secret. They always looked bright and warm. The boy didn't expect it to be so cold and dark at night. He wraps the green duffle coat around himself to keep warm. "Father" gave it to him before he ran away from "Home". The boy was given a lot of things before he was told to run. The coat, a suitcase, a hat and something called a "ticket to freedom." He looks down at the strip of paper "Father" gave him that already had a small hole punched through. It mentions the ship's company, the Crescent Moon Steamship Company. The route is from Berlin, Germany to London, England. It states that the ship will arrive there three days' time, if the British Army doesn't decide to blow them up on the way, that is. The boy had to come here in secret just like everyone else, for the fear of being apprehended or killed by Hitler's army. Indeed, the boy can't call them "German Army" as they don't seem to behave like Germans anymore. They seem to act more like trained lions sent out to hunt the alpha's prey. Just like how the boy was treated before escaping.

He has no idea what will happen to him when he arrives to England. He doesn't know where to go or who to take shelter with. "Father" simply told him to run and not stop until he's safe. But where can he feel safe? When can he feel safe? How is he to feel safe when he can be shot by a bullet or blown up by a bomb at any given moment? In a time of war, no one and nowhere is safe.

The boy grabs a can of something called "Oscar Mayer's Wieners" and uses his thumb to poke a hole through the tin lid and then rips the lid clean off. Inside, he sees what looks like cooked red fingers. He frowns, not knowing what they are.

He sees one of the boys in front of him trying to open his own can with a fork but he can't seem to get it open. The boy smiles slightly and offers his hand.

"_Ich kann es öffnen_ (I can open it if you like)," he tells the other boy.

The kid looks at him with a confused expression. He's obviously a few years younger than the boy. 14 or perhaps, 13. He is then given the can. A can of "Niblet's Fresh Corn", whatever that means. The boy does the same thing he did with his own can and cracks it open. The kid looks at him with wide eyes.

"_Heiliger Fick!_ (Holy fuck!)" the kid exclaims, "Did you really open the can with your hands?"

The boy nods. "_Ja_ (Yes)."

"How the hell did you do that?"

He shrugs. "I don't know. I was just born with it, I suppose."

That's a lie, of course. The boy knows how he got his strength. It was Doctor Kallenbach who gave him his strength. Him and "Father". And those needles they stuck into his arm. The boy still proceeds to scratch the scars on his arm every time he looks at them. They still itch even after the recent puncture healed.

The boy watches the kid eat what looks like yellow pebbles inside the can. "What is that?" he asks.

The kid stops eating with his hand and frown at him again. "What do you mean 'What is that?'?" he says, wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his coat.

"What's that you're eating?" The boy asks more clearly.

"Did you not read the label? It's corn."

"What's corn?" He knows the can say "fresh corn" but he doesn't know what it is.

"_Scheisse_, you don't know what corn is?" The kid asks and he shakes his head. "It's what I'm eating now. This is corn. Have you ever seen corn before?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard of corn?"

The boy shakes his head once more. He's still new to the outside world so he doesn't know much of anything except for the sun and the sea he was told about. He doesn't know about corn. He doesn't even know what's in his own can.

"Do you even know what you're eating?" the kid asks.

"Not really, no."

"They're Americanized frankfurter," he says, "But in America, they're called hot dogs."

"Hot dogs?" He's seen Doctor Kallenbach bring in dogs before. "They're not made of dogs, are they?"

The kid makes a face. "No, gross. They're not made of actual dogs…that I know of."

"So, I can eat it?"

"Yes, you can eat it. You have to. It's the only food you'll be able to eat for the time-being. Don't be an idiot."

Nodding, the bow starts eating the frankfurters. They're a little stale and really salty but they taste really good. A lot better than the food he used to eat at "Home".

He offers the kid some of his food. "Do you want one?"

"Um, sure," he says, "Do you want some corn?"

"Okay."

The kid gives him half of his "corn" and the boy gives him half of his "hot dogs", and they begin eating. The boy gags a little. The corn doesn't taste as good as the frankfurters. It tastes too slimy and sweet.

"Have you ever been to London?" the kid asks.

"No. Have you?"

"Only once before the war began," he says. "But I'm guessing the English will be less welcoming to us now, with our country bombing London."

"That bad?"

"Ja, that bad," he says, "I'm Christoph Schönborn. What's your name?"

"Um, I think my name is Finn Braunbeck," the boy says while looking down at the passport to make sure he's saying his name right.

"You think? You mean, you're not sure?"

"I, um, forget a lot of things. A bomb made my memory fuzzy."

"I understand. Do you have friends and family waiting for you in England?"

"_Freunde? Familie?_ (Friends? Family?)"

"Yes, people that will pick you up at the docks once they drop us off. Or are you taking the train to another part of England?"

Finn stares at Christoph. He doesn't know how to respond to him since he doesn't know what friends or family means.

"Um, I was sent here by myself."

"That's not good. If you don't have family or friends that will pick you up, you might be taken into isolation. The English might think you're a spy. They'll arrest you or send you back to Germany. And since you're sixteen, it will make them think you're a German soldier."

The term soldier is something that Finn is familiar with.

"I don't want to get sent back to Germany."

"Then, we're going to have to do something about you not wearing a tag. See?" Christoph shows him the tag on his jacket's wrist. "It shows who I'm going with. You should have a tag on you as well."

"I don't have one. I was told to board the ship to leave Germany as quickly as possible. He didn't tell me where the ship was taking me nor did he tell me I had to wear a tag."

"Who told you?"

"A friend of mine. He gave me the passport and everything. What about you?" Finn asks. He's starting to like this Christoph boy even if they've known each other for a few minutes. It would be a shame if they get separated.

"I'm staying with a friend of my mother's. She's taking me to Manchester. I don't know where the other kids will be going though. I have to guess the countryside?"

"I've never been to the countryside. What's it like?"

"Um, grass. Fields. Trees. Have you never seen trees?"

"No, I've never been outside."

"You've never been outside? What? You've been living in a cave all of your life?"

Finn hangs his head in shame. "Something like that."

"I'm sorry to hear that. Can you speak English, at least?"

"I can, yes. My friend taught me. I still struggle with a few words but I can speak it."

"That's good. Try to defend yourself with that. The English will find you less suspicious if you can speak their tongue. You also need to do something about that tag. Otherwise, they'll think you're a spy sent by Hitler."

"But I'm not a spy."

"Yes, but they won't know that. One time, a friend of mine told me that this kid come to England without documentation. They took him away for questioning. A pocket knife was found in his coat and he was shot in the head."

"How old was he?"

"Barely seven."

Finn's eyes grow. "That bad?"

"That bad."

Finn doesn't know what to do now. If he arrives to England, they'll certainly quarantine him for questioning. If only he can remember what "Father" told him before he boarded onto the ship. The ship's horn was loud that he could barely hear a full sentence. And he was in a hurry to escape Germany.

"Remember, ask for…!"

"I…I think there is someone in England waiting for me," he says to Christoph, "Yet, they don't know I'm coming."

"Who's waiting for you then?" Christoph asks.

"I can't remember. Father mentioned a name but I can't recall. I was in a hurry to get out of Berlin."

"I think that person's name might be the only thing that can save you from being killed or sent back to Berlin," Christoph says, "I might have an idea though."

"And what's that?"

"I'll need a paper and pen. I'm not sure if it will work but it's worth a try."

Finn rips one of the empty pages of Father's notebook and gives it to Christoph along with a pen. Christoph proceeds to rip a strip from the paper.

"Can you write?" he asks.

Finn shakes his head.

"Can you read?"

"No."

"What the hell? Do you not know anything?"

Finn's face turn red in embarrassment.

"Sorry," Christoph apologizes, "I'm just surprised, you know."

"It's okay."

He watches Christoph scribble down at the strip of paper, making it look identical to the other tag. Finn doesn't say a word and continues eating the hot dogs while Christoph continues scribbling. Once Christoph is finished, he gives Finn the strip of paper.

"Tell them that your tag fell off if they ask," he says.

"Why does it look like yours?" Finn asks.

"You're going to be staying with me and my godmother, Aunt Harriet," he says, "I'll just tell her that you're my older cousin. She only knows me and Mama. She's never met the rest of my family."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to get into trouble for trying to help me. I don't want to be a burden."

"Father" is already in enough trouble for letting him escape.

"What if we both get into trouble for this?" Finn asks.

"Then we both die," Christoph says, "End of story."

Finn is surprised of how uncaring Christoph is about the consequences they could both face for his actions. Perhaps, he's not afraid of the British Army. Or perhaps, Christoph holds no hope for the future so he finds the point of living meaningless and does not care if he dies.

The two boys huddle close together and put blankets around each other to keep warm. Finn watches the other children fall asleep as the night drags on and the boat rocks them to sleep. The fires in the tin cans slowly diminish. As the two boys start to fall asleep, Christoph's head, and his eyelids fall shut.

Every night, he would dream of running through green fields full of white flowers with the warm and bright sun bathing down on him. He would see singing birds flying above him. He would dream of having a family, whether it was a wife and a child, a mother and father, or a pair of siblings chasing each other while giggling. Dr. Kallenbach would always tell him that is never to have a family and is only a weapon. "Father" would tell Finn the opposite, promising him that he will have his freedom eventually. For now, Finn only has dreams. Good dreams. Sometimes, he simply wishes to remain in those dreams and not return to the awful realities he's forced to wake up to.

"All right, everyone wake up!"

Finn wakes up startled at the sound of a man's voice booming across the cargo hold. He looks up to see the man dressed in a green military uniform and holding a rifle in his hands. Finn feels his heart stop briefly.

"Oi, are you not listening!?" the soldier shouts, "Off the ship, the lot of you!"

Finn flinches at the tone of his voice. "S-sorry," he stutters, "Are we in England?"

"Yes, now wake your friend up and get off the ship before we drag you out. Now!"

Not wanting to be thrown off the ship, Finn quickly shakes Christoph. "Christoph! Christoph!"

Christoph's eyes flutter open. "Hmm?"

"We're in England. We need to move now."

The kid yawns. "Okay, I'm moving. I'm moving." He gets up and grabs his bag.

Since Finn doesn't have a bag of his own, he puts his passport in his coat pocket and keeps a strong hold onto the tag Christoph made for him.

"All right, all of you. Keep it moving!" the soldier shouts, "Single file!"

Taking a deep breath, Finn helps a still drowsy Christoph get in line with the other kids in a single file. All of the other children look tired and afraid, with the smaller children huddling close to the older kids. Thinking he should do this same, Finn holds Christoph close but the kid shrugs him off.

"You don't have to do that. I'm fine," he says.

"Sorry."

Christoph remains silent for a moment. He then sighs. "Though, you can hold my hand, if you want."

Smiling a little, Finn gently holds his hand and they continue to walk.

Finn glances at two British soldiers trying to awake the young lady who had been singing to her baby the other night. However, they are unable to open their eyes. Finn then notices how pale their faces are and how their lips have become blue and chapped.

"Shit," one of the soldiers say, "These two are dead."

"They must have died from the cold," the other says.

Tears fill Finn's eyes upon hearing this. Despite being ill, that poor lady tried bringing her baby to safety and yet, they weren't even close to making it. If only he and Christoph invited her to huddle with them near the fire. He still recalls the song she was singing to the baby. How they would be going to a beautiful place called heaven. Perhaps, she knew they were going to die eventually and was singing the song to comfort the child before their ultimate demise.

"There's nothing you can do for them," Christoph says, "This was bound to happen. Not everyone can make it. Come on, we mustn't delay."

Nodding, Finn follows Christoph out of the ship. His pupils dilate and his arm quickly covers his eyes at the brightness outside the ship. Since he came onto the ship in the dead of night and spent most of his days in the cargo hold, he has never seen the sun. He slowly removes his arm from his face, blinking a few times, and looks around the area he is now.

It's broad daylight. He sees soldiers taking out crates from the ship and moving them onto canopied trucks. There's something that looks like a fence made of heavy sacks surrounding the docks now standing before them. He can now see the ocean. It's still cold and dark-looking, unlike the ocean he's seen in the pictures. Just beyond the docks, Finn sees people gathered in a crowd, holding signs written with profanities and the German flag crossed out in red paint, forming the symbol of Hitler's army, while shouting and cursing at them. Finn doesn't understand. He expected the English to be more welcoming to visitors, not insulting them.

"Ignore them, Finn," Christoph says, "They hate us because they think we're from the Third Reich."

"Just because we're German?"

"Yes. Now, come on. We need to keep moving."

They climb down the ship's platform and onto the wooden dock.

"All right, kids, keep a move on," another soldier says. "Follow the line to register your names."

At the registration counter, Finn sees some of the children writing their names on a notebook and showing their passports to one of the soldiers who seems to be a lot bigger and rounder than the others.

"Christoph…"

"Yeah?"

"I can't write, remember?" he says worriedly, "I don't think I'll be able to write my name."

"Don't worry. I'll help you."

"But what if he asks me to write my name?"

"Just tell him that you can't write. I'll write for you."

"What if he doesn't accept?"

"Then we're dead, end of story."

"Is that your everyday phrase?"

"It will be if you're not going to shut up and trust me."

"Sorry."

As their turn arrives, Finn's heart begins to pound faster. So loud that he can hear them beating in his ear.

"Show me your passport, boy," the soldier says.

Finn shyly takes out the passport from his coat pocket and gives it to the soldier. The passport has not picture, something that "Father" thought it be wise to remove when giving it to him.

"Finn A. Braunbeck," the soldier reads the name out loud, "What does the A. stand for?"

Finn stutters a little, not knowing how to respond to that.

"Albert," Christoph says, "It's Finn Albert Braunbeck."

"And who the bloody hell are you, kid?" the soldier says bitterly.

"His cousin," Christoph responds.

"Well, I asked your cousin, not you."

"He's illiterate, sir. He can't read or write much."

The soldier continues reading. "How old are you, Mr. Braunbeck?"

"Um," Finn tries to think, "I've been alive for sixteen years, I believe."

"So, you're sixteen?" The soldier raises an eyebrow, "However, your passport says you were born in 1908."

"It's a typographical error, sir," Christoph explains, "Finn was born in 1928 but they wrote 1908 instead. We didn't have time or money to have our passports corrected."

The soldier grumbles under his breath and continues examining the passport. "No pictures on your passport either."

"I… I couldn't afford one, sorry," Finn says.

"And where's your tag?"

Finn shows him the tag in his hand. "Right here. It fell off."

The soldier proceeds to frown at him suspiciously. Finn gulps, afraid that the man will easily see through him.

After a few minutes, the soldier sighs and stamps the passport before giving it back to him. "I'd welcome you to England but your presence is already unwelcoming. Same for your cousin. Now, write your name and get moving."

"I -"

"Finn doesn't write well, sir," Christoph says, "Is it alright if I write for him?"

"Fine. Just hurry and get moving. We don't have all day."

Christoph picks up the pen and writes Finn's name on the registration book.

"All right, now move along. Bag checks over there," the bitter soldier points at the other side of the dock where another soldier is rummaging through the children's baggage.

"Um, I don't have any bags," Finn says.

The soldier gives him a look that makes Finn gulp in fear. "You still need to be checked. Even your clothes. So, get a move on."

Not thinking twice about it, Finn hurries to the bag checks while Christoph signs his own name on the registration book.

The other soldier gives him the same sharp look as the one at the registration table. "Where are your bags?"

"I didn't bring any."

"Let me check your clothing then," he says, "Arm up."

Finn raises his arms and the soldier starts patting down his coat in search for any objects other than his passport.

"Do you carry any weapons with you?" the soldier asks.

"No. Not really."

"Guns?"

"No."

"Knives?"

"No."

"Drugs."

"Not really."

The soldier pulls up Finn's sleeves to check for any weapons. He frowns upon seeing the puncture scars on the crook of Finn's right arm.

"What the bloody hell is this?" he asks.

"Um, injections," Finn says, "My father had me taken them before I left home."

"For what?"

Finn shrugs. "Diseases?"

The soldier also checks the boy's mouth to see if he's carrying any pills or any type of poison. After Finn is examined, he is sent with the other children to wait at the benches. Christoph also has his bags checked before going over to sit with Finn.

Finn proceeds to watch the people outside the docks continue their protest against the German children. As the hours pass, the crowd decrease in size, possibly from tiredness. One by one, a person would come and take the children and drive away into the streets of the city called London. An old lady wearing a straw hat, a brown shawl and round glasses, approach four of the children.

"Mrs. Macready?" one of the four children say.

"Are you the Hegeler siblings?" she asks in a very stern matter. "Petrus. Susanne. Emmerich. Luisa."

"Yes, ma'am," Petrus says.

"Come with me then," the old lady says before taking the children away with her. The youngest child of the bunch, Luisa, waves at Finny and he waves back shyly.

As the sun begins to go down, and there have remained very few children on the docks, a woman approaches Finn and Christoph. A middle-aged woman with short brown hair, tired bags under her eyes and is wearing a burgundy outfit. She gives the boys a warm smile.

"Christoph," she says.

Finn watches Christoph smile broadly, showing pearly white teeth, and bolts towards the woman. He jumps onto her, putting his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Aunt Harriet," he says.

"Oh, my dear Christoph, how I missed you," she says and kisses his head, "I'm glad you're safe. Where's your mother?"

Christoph sighs. "She decided to stay in Germany."

"Oh no," the woman says, her smile falling.

"But I'm here with my cousin," he says as he turns his head towards Finn.

Finn sits up straight and holds the notebook against his chest.

The woman smiles at him. "Hello, I'm Harriet Wood. What's your name?"

"Finn," he says meekly.

"Well, Finn, are you coming with us or are you staying here all evening?" she asks, giggling.

Smiling a little, Finn gets up and follows them to a black vehicle. Finn has never been in one so the idea of climbing into an enclosed space makes his stomach turn. It brings him back to the times when Dr. Kallenbach would seal him in a small metal box, having nothing but a slit for Finn to peek through and scream for help.

He then feels his hand being held and looks at Christoph.

"Come on, everything is going to be fine," he says.

That's what "Father" said to him before telling him to run. "Everything is going to be all right. Now, run, boy! Run!"

Finn ultimately climbs into the backseat with Christoph. Christoph helps him put on the seatbelt before putting it on himself. Finn looks back at the docks and sees some of the British soldiers leading the remaining German children away to who-knows-where. He just hopes they don't get hurt. As the vehicle drives away, he sees cobblestone streets like the ones he's seen in Berlin. He sees soldiers getting into their cars and people closing up shop after six. Finn might not be able to see the English daily life until the next day.

"I hope you're hungry," Aunt Harriet says, "I'll be making toad in a hole tonight, your favourite."

"Thanks, Aunt Harriet," Christoph says.

"Toad in a hole?" Right now, Finn is actually thinking of toad frogs in dirt holes.

"Not real toads, dummy," Christoph laughs, "It's actually a pudding batter full of sausages, onion gravy and vegetables. It's delicious. A lot tastier than the hot dogs you ate on the ship. Trust me, you'll love it."

Finn smiles a little. "I am a little hungry."

"Good...Hey, do you want to do something to piss off the English folk," Christoph gives him a smirk.

"What is it?" Finn asks.

"Christoph, don't do anything reckless," Aunt Harriet warns him.

"Don't worry, Aunt Harriet. It's just for the giggles," he says before rolling down the windows.

"Oh dear," she says.

"On the count of three," he says, "One...Two...Three!" He then sticks his head out the window and screams, "_Willkommen in England!_"

"How is that going to make the English angry?" Finn asks. "You're just welcoming yourself to England."

Christoph smirks. "Yes, but that's the fun part. Some of the English don't understand our language so those who are none the wiser will think we're insulting them. Come on, try it. It will be fun."

"Don't get him involved in your games, Christoph," Aunt Harriet says, trying not to laugh.

"Come on," Christoph says.

"Um, okay," Finn says and sticks his head out the window.

"Now, scream."

"_Willkommen in England!_" Finn screams, getting some confused looks from the English bystanders. He can't help but smile a little.

"That's it! _Willkommen in England!_"

"_Willkommen in England!_"

"_Willkommen in England!_" they both scream at the top of their lungs.

"Will you boys please sit back down already!?"

* * *

**End of Chapter 4**


	6. Chapter 5: Mey-Rin

**This chapter is a little short but I've been dealing with schoolwork online so despite having free time, I'll still be busy taking classes online.**

* * *

After entering the study with the package in my hands, I shut the door behind me. Lord Phantomhive is sitting behind his desk, his eye looking through a few documents. His brow is furrowed tightly, filled with concentration as always. I even considered walking out of the office and come back later, knowing how displeased he'll be if he's interrupted. But how displeased will he be if I leave with the package? And eventually dropping it. No, I mustn't mess up.

"I can hear you," he suddenly speaks up before I can even move. My eyes widen. How did he hear me? Was it my breathing?

"Um, sorry, my lord," I say.

Sighing, he puts down the documents. "What is it now, Mey-Rin?"

"A package arrived for you. From the Royal Hospital in London."

Lord Phantomhive looks up to stare at the package, his face expressing sudden surprise. "They're my weekly medicine. Put it on the desk. Be careful not to break it. All right? I only get them once a month."

"What are they for?"

"For my asthma."

I bow my head and carefully walk towards the desk, putting the package down on the wooden surface gently.

"Is there a reason you called me, master?"

"I need the board game from the top shelf," he says, pointing at the bookshelf behind me. "I decided to play a game with Lord Ilario if he's going to stay with us this evening."

I nod and climb up the ladder to the bookcase's top shelf where a flat rectangular box laid covered in a light sheet of dust. It's a very gruesome and malevolent board game the master like to play with his guests. Sometimes to scare them. I've seen it before. It's the master's twisted way of entertaining himself. Taking the board game in my hands, I cautiously climb down the ladder since my feet can throw me off my balance. My feet makes me clumsy (not just my short sight), no thanks to Haku. I still recall feeling my bones break and my own scream echoing against the walls as Haku twisted my feet for failing to shoot my last target. It still feels painful upon walking but I try to hide my expressions of agony just as Baldroy makes the effort to hide his continuous fear of the war.

In China, it was tradition for girl's feet to be bound and folded during childhood to keep them from growing any bigger. A practice that is now considered rare these days. Apparently, small feet made girls more attractive in China. However, Haku used it as a form of torture.

Every now and then, I need to take off my boots to massage my feet and crack my toes. I once tried to separate the rest of my toes from the bottom, but they're stuck in a permanent bend. No one sees me walking barefoot for this very reason. I prefer keeping it that way to avoid being seen in a shameful state.

I give the young master his board game without question. As usual, no "thank you".

"That will be all, Mey-Rin," he says.

I then remember the conversation Baldroy and I had in the kitchen earlier. "Do you have favourite colour, my lord?" I ask.

Lord Phantomhive frowns at me. "Pardon me?"

"A colour. Do you have a favourite?" I ask.

"Why are you asking such tedious question?"

"Well, since you know everything about us, I thought it would be fair if we got to know you," I say, fidgeting my hands awkwardly.

"…Has Baldroy been talking again?"

My face falls when the young lord says this. How did he know? "Um, yes, my lord," I sigh in defeat.

Lord Phantomhive taps the side of his chin while staring me blankly with his ice blue eye. "Tell him to pack up his things and get out. He's fired."

"What? No! Please, my lord, don't fire Bard," I plead, "You know he doesn't mean the things he says."

A small smirk creeps across his face. "I know. It was merely a joke, not a very wholesome one, I believe."

"Oh." Now, I feel like an idiot for taking everything so seriously.

"With all seriousness, Mey-Rin, Baldroy needs to mind his tongue if he wishes to maintain his job."

"Yes, sir."

"As for your question, would you like to guess what my favourite colour is?"

"Um, blue?"

The young lord chuckles in amusement. "It is. What is yours?"

"Master, you know I have no favourite of anything."

"Of course you do. What's the colour that you use the most?"

"Um, pink?"

"Then it's pink. I would have guessed red, the traditional colours of China," he smirks. He then continues working. "I need everything to be perfect this evening. That means no messing up, am I clear?"

"Yes, master."

"And wear something presentable. That goes for Baldroy as well," he orders, "I hate the sight of you two in the presence of our guests covered in dust and kitchen grease. Last time Lau told me he could smell it from the game room."

I nod in agreement. "My apologies. I'll notify Bard and we'll be ready for tonight."

"Good. You may proceed with your duties as usual."

"Yes, my lord," I say before exiting the studies.

In the parlour, I begin sweeping and vacuuming the carpeted floor. Just as Sebastian ordered, I leave my boots outside in the hall and wear a fresh pair of slippers to not track footprints or dirt on the carpet while cleaning it. Indeed, it's a rough and tiresome task but it's something I don't mind doing.

I spot the record player on the corner of the parlour. It still has the disc on it. Hmm.

I walk over to the record player and turn it on. The Andrew Sister's _Beat Me Daddy, Eight to the Bar _starts playing. It has a very decent song. My head begin bouncing sideways to its rhythm. I then begin tapping my feet. Minutes later, I start dancing with the vacuum as the music entrances me.

As I twirl around, with my pink skirt flying around in a circle, I catch sight of a black and white blue standing at the entrance of the parlour. I stop spinning and squeal when I realize it's Sebastian watching me.

"What on earth are you doing?" he asks.

"Sorry, sir," I say, bowing my head in shame. When did he return? I didn't even hear him stepping in.

"Please refrain from distracting yourself."

"Yes, sir. I've attended the master as you ordered."

"Very good. Now, get back to work."

I nod and return to vacuuming the carpet, my face now burning from embarrassment.


	7. Chapter 6: Finn

**Chapter 6:**

**Finn**

* * *

"_Run!_"

I run towards the ship awaiting me at the docks. But with every step I take, the ship seems to get farther and farther. My feet slowly get stuck on concrete pavement and I feel myself sinking down while Father continues to tell me to run. To never stop until I feel safe. I still don't feel safe. I feel trapped.

"_Go! You must get out of here!_" It's all he ever said to me.

Looking up at the blooden sky, I see metal birds fly above me. I know who they are and what they're here for. To make us witness the world's own destruction. As the destructive eggs fall from the metal birds, I close my eyes and cover my ears to avoid listening to the bombs bursting upon impact.

"_Run!_"

Opening my eyes once more, I find myself in the back of the car with Christoph staring at me in confusion. I must have fallen asleep on the way to our new home.

"You all right, Finn?" he asks worriedly.

I nod a little. "Yes, I'm all right."

"Bad dream?"

I sigh. "You can say that."

"It's all right, Finn," Aunt Harriet says, "Once the war is over, you won't have to worry about those nightmares. They'll eventually go away."

No. I don't think so. I've had these nightmares since I was a toddler. They repeat themselves daily. And it's always the same thing. I try to escape but I've never been able to reach that goal. And I wake up in the same place. Of course, this time is different. This time, I did escape. I just can't believe it.

"We're here!" Aunt Harriet announces as she slows the car to a stop in front of a red-bricked building.

"Where are we?" I ask.

"Coventry," Christoph explains.

"What's Coventry?"

"Let's just say we're a little far from London."

I stare at the building, my eyes growing in astonishment. "And that place is all yours, auntie?"

She nods. "Yes, all mine. And now, it's for all three of us. I guarantee you're going to like it here."

"Three of us?" Christoph asks with a frown on his brow. "Isn't Levi staying?"

I blink when he mentions this mysterious person. Who's Levi?

She lets out a deep sigh. "He doesn't live here anymore…All right, let's get inside so you two boys can get settled while dinner is ready. I'll be making your favourite."

Christoph smiles briefly before getting out of the car. Confused, I follow Christoph. I didn't know he had a favourite meal. I don't even know what a favourite is like. Maybe I'll learn eventually.

We enter the house. There are a lot of things in here that I don't recognize. The only thing I'm able to recognize here are the chairs and the table. The windows are lower than the ones at the hospital. I can see the streets of England clear as day. The building is smaller than Dr. Kallenbach's hospital but the rooms are bigger than his office. It's also very nice and warm in here.

Aunt Harriet takes us upstairs to our quarters.

"My sons are out fighting in the war so they won't be back for a while. You'll be sleeping in their rooms for now."

The beds here are almost like the ones from my cell but bigger and prettier. The sheets are an explosion of colours like red, yellow, blue and green. I walk over to one of the beds and touch it. The colourful blankets are soft. Not hard like my old bed. Smiling, I sit on the edge of it. Christoph, on the other hand, flops onto the bed in a giggle fit. Aunt Harriet smiles at me before heading downstairs to make dinner. I wonder what we'll eat tonight. They don't know this but I'm still hungry.

Christoph takes off his boots and toss aside as well as his socks. Though, he practically peeled them, revealing bruises and red-an-pink bubbly blisters on his toes and ankles. It seems like he's been wearing those boots for a long time. As if he were running.

"How long were you running from Germany?" I ask.

He glances at me. "Hmm?"

"How long were you running?"

"Um, three months. I wasn't really born in Berlin. I was born in Essen. I was going to travel with Mother to Bremen to catch the ship to England. But when we got to Bremen, the nationalists were capturing the Jews," he sighs sadly. "My mother was Jewish. She kept me hidden. She got arrested. So, I'm here by myself."

"I'm sorry," I tell him. "I didn't know."

He smiles a little. "It's okay. It's not your fault. I still think Mother is alive. I know she's in one of those concentration camps. Once the war is over and the Allies win, I'll see her again."

"You're talking about the Americans, the British and the Russians?" I ask and he nods. "Father has spoken to me about them. They're said to be the good people trying to save us from the war. But Dr. Kallenbach says they're evil creatures that must be destroyed so Hitler can expand his empire."

One day, the other boys and I were sitting in a room together where Dr. Kallenbach showed us footage of Hitler giving his speech to the grand multitude of his army and other German civilians. Plans on removing and eliminating the Jewish. Plans to take over Europe as part of his expansion. And how enemies who try to stop him will be crushed. I found the footage confusing at first. At first, I didn't know why Dr. Kallenbach showed us this footage. But then, after one of my "brothers" did some analyzing, things started to add up. With the footage, Dr. Kallenbach's plans for us were really clear. Only until he realized we were complete failures and had no use of us anymore.

Christoph frowns. "Who's Dr. Kallenbach?"

I've been hesitating on mentioning Dr. Kallenbach because I didn't know if I could trust Christoph. Father told me to trust no one in Germany. But I feel like I should trust Christoph. After all, he seems to trust me. "…The man who made me strong."

His eyes grow wide. "Is that why you were able to open a can with your hands?"

I nod. Lifting up the sleeve of my shirt, I show him the scars on the crook of my elbows. "Each needle left me these scars."

Christoph's face turns white as the clouds in the sky. "_Heilige Scheiße_. He did that to you?"

"Yes."

"Why would he do that?"

"To make me stronger."

"Well, he made you look sick."

"Do I look sick?" I ask.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

When not giving him a response, Christoph scoffs and rolls his eyes before getting out of bed. He walks over to me and pulls me out of bed. Not knowing what he's talking about, I remain silent as he tugs me towards a washroom which is almost as plain as the one in Dr. Kallenbach's hospital. Christoph places a wooden stool in front of the sink.

He makes me stand on the stool. .

"Look at yourself," he says.

And I do just that. Gandering at the my reflection in the mirror, never have I noticed how horrific I look. I never paid attention to my gaunt appearance until now. I never saw the dark circles around my eyes. How grey and chapped my lips are. When I remove the hat from my head, it just makes my appearance worse. Without hair (which was roughly shaved away by the hospital's barber), I resemble the skulls Dr. Kallenbach keeps on his shelves of specimens. I even have the other puncture wounds exposed on the side of my thin neck. Christoph is right. I look awful. Hideous, in fact. I barely look human. It makes me wonder why Christoph wasn't scared off by my appearance in the first place. Perhaps, it was because there were other children on the ship looking similar to me.

"I didn't know it was that bad," I tell him.

"Anyone else would have ran to the hills," he says, "But I'm not like that. I know other children in Essen who look a lot worse."

I sigh. "Thanks."

I suppose that should make me feel better.

"All you need to do is eat a lot and you won't appear like you got sucked by a leech, eh?" he says, "And if you ask nicely, maybe Aunt Harriet will allow you to have second servings."

My lips stretch out in a small smile. "Maybe," I say.

We return to our rooms and proceed unpacking out belongings despite not having much. Christoph pulls out what looks like a black-covered notebook from the inside of his coat as well as a plastic bag full of black sticks. I blink and tilt my head to the side while observing his notebook curiously. Does he keep a journal like Father and Dr. Kallenbach?

"Do you write in that?"

He shakes his head. "No, I draw in it."

"Draw?"

"Yes. Want to see?" he asks.

Without thinking twice, I sit beside him.

He opens the notebook, showing me pictures of black-and-white flowers, animals and places, I have never seen before. A white dog with an egg-shaped head. A cat. A mountain with a flock of birds flying over it. A little girl in a frilly dress and curly short hair. There are even designs of rooms and entire buildings. They all look almost real and beautiful. I review the pictures in amazements. Did Christoph really make all of these? How?

"How did you make all of this?" I ask.

"My father taught me when I was six," he says, "He was once an artist and studied Industrial Design at the Folkwang University."

"What happened to him?" I ask though I should probably have probably known.

"He died," he says, "He got hit by one of those military vehicles but the soldier who hit him didn't stop to help. He just left my father there to bleed to death." He then smiles at me with assurance. "Don't worry. Once the war ends and the Allies win, I will return to Essen and study in the same university as father." He jumps onto his feet on the bed and stretches out his arms. "And I'll be the greatest industrial designer in the world."

I giggle. It really sounds like an incredible plan. I hope the war ends soon so he can make that dream a reality. I, on the other hand, don't have any dreams. In fact, I don't know what I'm going to do once the war is over. If the war ends. I have no family here. I have no money. And I'm not sure if Aunt Harriet will keep me here if Christoph gets sent home. It's possible that she won't. I'll have to fend for myself however I can. I know Father left me a name to find. The name of someone here in English. But I can't remember what name that is.

"Boys! Dinner!" Aunt Harriet calls from downstairs.

Jumping off the bed, Christoph takes my hand. "Come on, I'm starving."

"Me too."

We go downstairs together.

* * *

"Here we are," Aunt Harriet places a bowl of something red and golden brown in the middle of the table. Steam ghosts out of the bowl. Its scent is bitter yet pleasant. "Toad-in-a-hole pie."

"Yes!" Christoph exclaims happily and claps his hands.

I frown at the "pie". Hmm. It doesn't look like a toad-in-a-hole. There are no toads. I know what toads are like. I've seen their preserved corpses in liquid jars. These aren't toads. They're sausages, like the canned ones I ate on the ship with Christoph. Why would Aunt Harriet call it toad-in-a-hole?

"What's wrong, Finn?" she asks me, having a concerned look on her face.

"Where are the toads?" I ask.

Christoph snorts as he tries not to burst into laughter. Aunt Harriet giggles as a response.

"There are no toads in the pie, Finn," she says.

Wait, what? "Then, why is it called like that?"

Christoph has a giggle fit. "It's just a name, Finn. It doesn't have actual toads, dummy."

Aunt Harriet becomes serious again. "Christoph, you don't call anyone dumb, all right?"

"Sorry, Aunt Harriet," he giggles.

I smile a little. Honestly, it is a little funny. I'm such an idiot thinking there were actual toads in the pie.

The warm and bittersweet scent of the pie enters through my nostrils, making my stomach growl loudly. Christoph hands me the slice of the pie on a blue plate. I smile and bow my head, thanking him. Taking the fork in my hand, I stab it into the pie, causing the table to shake a little. Gulping a little, I turn to Aunt Harriet who looks back at me with a kind grin. I suppose she didn't notice.

"Here," she says before giving me a dull-edged knife. "I don't think you can break off a pie with a fork."

"Thank you." I start slicing the pie into small pieces to make it easier for me to eat. However, when I lift one of the pieces with the fork, I realize that I also brought in a piece of the china plate. I look under it. The fork had pierced through porcelain. I gaze back down at the plate. That's when I noticed. I broke the plate while slicing the pie. I peek up to see Christoph and Aunt Harriet stare at me with astonishment covering their faces. My own face burns in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry, Aunt Harriet," I apologize, putting the fork down. "It was an accident."

Father tried to teach me how to control my strength. It seems I forgot my lessons.

"Um, it's all right, Finn," she says, "It's not your fault. Besides, those plates have always been hideous to look at. My ex-mother-in-law gave them to me as a wedding gift for me and Levi. The only reason why I kept them is because I don't have another plate set."

Christoph speaks with his mouth full of pie. "You seem to be happy you divorced Levi. I thought you loved him very much."

She sighs. "Well, love comes at a cost. I wasn't happy when married to him. And neither was he. He was even more unhappy when I told him you were coming here. So, I asked him for a divorce."

"Must you be happy in a marriage?" I ask.

Aunt Harriet frowns at me strangely. "What do you mean?"

"Um, well, you see, my doctor used to teach me things about marriage. He used to say love is fictional. That marriage's only purpose is for procreation and nothing more. And that it is the obligation of the female counterpart to remain by the male's side until death, even if he tries to procreate with another female. I didn't understand but he said I will eventually when my time to procreate arrives."

"That's gross. Why would he say such horrible things?" Christoph says.

I shrug. "I don't know. I used to believe it but with everything you're saying, it seems to contradict everything he told me."

"Listen," Aunt Harriet says, "No matter what that doctor said, you have no obligation to do as he says. When you become older, you get to do as you wish. If you want to marry, get married. If you want to stay single, stay single. If you want to divorce because someone is treating you like you're useless, then divorce. No one is putting a gun to your head…"

_A gun to your head_. She's wrong. I did have a gun to my head. Dr. Kallenbach's gun. He would have blown my brains out if S-009 hadn't tackled him to the ground. S-009 gave my father time to get me out of the building. But not without hearing the sound of the gunshot. I don't know what happened afterwards. All I know is that Dr. Kallenbach lives. So, yes, I did have a gun to my head. And surely, so did S-009.

"…You can be whoever you want to be," Aunt Harriet finishes as she then starts to eat her meal.

I stare at her in shock. "Wait, I can?"

"Yes, you can. I don't know who your doctor is but he's not your father so he has no right to control how to live your life. You have the right to be happy."

She's right. Dr. Kallenbach may have created me but he was never my father. He has no right over me. I only have one father and that father is…

"HARRIET!"

I whip my head around to stare at the front door upon hearing the sound of a man's voice calling for Aunt Harriet. My heart skips a beat and a lump gets stuck in my throat. I look back at Christoph and Aunt Harriet. Christoph's mouth is agape with the piece of pie hanging. Aunt Harriet's face is chalk white.

She immediately gets up from her seat, the chair screeching behind her.

"Hide under the table. Quickly."

Christoph ducks under the table. I remain staring at the door as the banging and yelling continues. A tug on my shirt ultimately snaps me out of the trance and I hide under the table with Christoph, the fork still in my hand. If he finds me and Christoph under here, I might stab his eye out.

"Is that your Uncle Levi?" I ask Christoph quietly as Aunt Harriet trots her way to the front door.

He shakes his head. "No, he's not my uncle. He's just a bastard who married my aunt. He hates people like us."

"People like us?"

"Germans. He hates Jewish people as well. He hates anyone who's not English. But he has a special hate towards us because of the war. He's using the war as an excuse to express his hate freely. He even hated my mother and hated the idea of us coming here."

"I understand if he's afraid but ―"

"He's not. He's just a vile piece of shit."

"…Oh."

I listen to the argument. The man outside continues to yell and bang on the door. Aunt Harriet yells back. I can't hear exactly what they're saying. They're both yelling at the same time. It makes it difficult to tell what they're saying.

Minutes later, the yelling and banging stops. Aunt Harriet returns.

She looks over her shoulder towards the door. "Get out before I call Scotland Yard!" she yells once more before returning to sit at the table. "You can come out now, boys. He doesn't have the keys to get in. He's leaving."

Christoph and I crawl out from under the table. I head over to the window to see what this "Uncle Levi" man looks like but Aunt Harriet grabs my upper arm.

"Don't do that, Finn. He'll see you," she says, "Come on, sit back down and eat your dinner."

I nod and return to sit at the table. Christoph picks up his plate and sits next to me. This Levi man must have startled him. His hand shakes as he resumes to eat his pie. Aunt Harriet sighs and drinks her tea. She seems to be shaken by this as well. I don't blame them. That Levi man sure seems terrifying. I just hope he doesn't come back.

"Um, Aunt Harriet," I say.

"Hmm? Yes, Finn?" she asks.

"Do you think I can have second servings?" I don't want to be a vulture but I'm very hungry.

She smiles softly. "Of course, sweetie. You can eat as much as you like. It might help get some colour back on your cheeks."

"Can I have seconds as well?" Christoph asks.

"You too, love."

We proceed to eat our dinner. It got a bit cold no thanks to that Levi man but I'm so hungry that I don't care if the food is hot or cold. It's still delicious and filling. The sausages and the onion gravy are still a bit warm. The gravy is soft and rich. It's so delicious, I can just cry. And I did. Tears fall down my cheeks and I sniffle just as I eat the last bite and serve myself a second slice. Never have I been so hungry in my life. Never have I eaten something so good. All my life, all I ate was stale rye bread and sour milk. I never thought there would be anything else. I guess I was wrong.

A hand holds mine. I glance at Christoph who smiles at me softly before putting his arm around my shoulders.

"It's okay."

He's right. It's okay. I'm safe. Safe from the hospital. Safe from Dr. Kallenbach. Even if Father gave me the name of the person I need to find, I think I'll stay here. Because I feel safe. With Christoph and Aunt Harriet.


	8. Chapter 7: Mey-Rin

**Chapter 7:**

**Mey-Rin**

Arranging dinner for Lord Ilario was a disaster. As predicted, I shattered the new chinaware when trying to get them down from the cabinet and Baldroy burned the food when trying to cook it with the flamethrower. As usual, Sebastian had to fix everything before evening by rearranging the yard into Japanese rock garden and having Baldroy make beef donburi. I, for one, got smacked in the bloody head with a roll of newspaper by Tanaka.

I take a cold bath since I don't have time to heat up the water. We only have an hour before Lord Ilario's arrival. After I finish my bath, I dress in a cream knee-length skirt with a bow on the side and a grey blouse with a shawl neckline. Unfortunately, part of my nylon stockings is torn as I slip them on. I'll need to find a way to keep the hole hidden. I then slip on a pair of white-and-brown shoes I picked out from town. Surprisingly, they were the last pair on sale because they're unable to have shoes imported lately. I only picked them to hide my deformed feet. They're not as good as my boots but they hide them well. I just hope I don't fall. Otherwise, Sebastian will never let me hear the end of it.

I sigh. This is going to be a tiring evening indeed.

* * *

The moment Lord Ilario enters the Phantomhive Manor, he is completely awestruck by the Japanese rock garden set in the yard. Sebastian indeed did a wonderful job with the yard. Lord Phantomhive and Lord Ilario greet each other with a handshake and introduce us servants.

"Good evening, Lord Ilario," he says, "I welcome you to our manor. These are the rest of my staff. Sebastian Michaelis, my butler. Baldroy, our cook. And finally, our maid, Mey-Rin."

I immediately become uneasy the moment Lord Ilario sees me. I've seen that look before from other gents. I'm not even wearing anything provocative, just these simple clothing that covers most of me, except for my hands and face. There should be no reason for him to stare at me the same way he looks at an appetizer. Of course, he's the owner of the Poseidon Company's Indian Factory and Lord Phantomhive's guest so I can't complain.

During dinner, Lord Phantomhive and his guest eat the beef donburi. I try to serve the wine but with Sebastian, Lord Phantomhive and Lord Ilario watching my every move, I get nervous. I trip and accidentally spill the wine on the tablecloth. Luckily, Sebastian is able to remove it in a swift movement before Lord Ilario could notice. Such a clever butler. That's the scariest part though. How is Sebastian able to remove a cloth in the blink of an eye without anyone else noticing?

* * *

After dinner, Sebastian rewards us with lemon meringue pie. However, I kindly reject the pie. I'm not exactly hungry. My stomach is still on knots after accidentally spilling the wine. Lord Ilario's staring made it worse.

Lord Phantomhive and Lord Ilario talk in the library while playing the grim board game he asked me to bring. I, for one, am in the library serving tea. I don't know why Sebastian asked me to come up here to the library. I thought he'd had me do the dishes. But here I am, watching the master and his guest play their game. Lord Phantomhive moves his gargoyle piece twice.

"I've been hearing rumours that the factory in India is having problems doing imports overseas," the master says. "Have you encountered any trouble with the German Nationalists or the Imperial Army in Japan?"

"Oh no, of course not. On the contrary, the progress we've been making with the East India Factory is quite astonishing," Lord Ilario says. "We already have the makings of a top-notch staff ―"

"Bewitched by the eyes of the dead," the masters interrupt Lord Ilario, clearly more interested in the game than the man's words. "How unfortunate. It seems I lost a turn."

Lord Ilario chuckles in amusement. However, he seems to insist on talking about the company. "Right now, it's the perfect time to talk business. We should start expanding the company and building a strong labour force ―"

"How do you expect to expand the company when almost all the seas of the world are practically a battlefield right now?" he asks. "Unless you know a secret route, any ship that tries to cross enemy lines will be shot at."

"But I ―"

"Go on, it's your turn," the master interrupts him once more, his tone full of boredom.

I don't understand. If Ciel is not interested in talking business with Lord Ilario, why the hell did he invite him here to begin with? What's the purpose of this visit?

Lord Ilario lets out a sigh. "Oh yes…I just spin this then?" He spins the blue top with numbers on it. It stops at 5. He needs to move five spaces. I know this because I watched the young lord play this game with his aunt. "I move five paces then. Now, what I want to ask you, perhaps you can contribute another 12,000 pounds to support the future expansion once the war ends." The master remains staring at him sternly. "I believe it will be quite a profitable venture for you, my lord ―"

"You lose a leg in the enchanted forest," the master says.

"Huh?"

"And it's your turn again. I lost a turn, remember?"

"Oh, I see," Lord Ilario says, looking uncomfortable right now. He moves the blue top again. It stops spinning. "Right, I move 6 spaces."

"You don't. That's three."

"What?" Lord Ilario asks in confusion.

"You lost a leg, if I recall. Now, you only move half the number of spaces."

Lord Ilario stares at the master in shock as he says this but tries to laugh it off as an odd sense of humour. "Oh my," he lets out an uncomfortable laugh. "This is a gruesome board game, isn't it? Is there no way to restore my leg?"

"I'm afraid once something is truly lost, sir, one can never get it back," the master says, his tone turning cold. I hate to admit it, but it's quite frightening. The master leans forward and snatches Lord Ilario's gargoyle piece away, much to the man's astonishment. "Your body is burned by raging flames."

One of the images in the board game shows a man being burned alive at the stake while surrounded by crosses. It's like I can hear the poor man's screams in my head, as if the man burning at the stake is real.

"I'm afraid I can't risk anyone one sailing overseas for importation," the master says. "I was surprised you even risked your own life coming here to discuss business. You should be wiser with your choices, Lord Ilario."

"Are you sure we should be talking business in the presence of the servants?" Lord Ilario asks.

"Sebastian and Mey-Rin are one of my most loyal servants. Nothing that we say in this room comes out of their mouths," the master says sternly.

"Mey-Rin," Sebastian whispers in my ear, "Refill the cups."

I bow my head and go to do just that. Lord Ilario proceeds to watch me, eyes following my moves as I pour tea into their cups. Lord Phantomhive seems to notice and glares at him.

"Where did you find your maid?" he asks with a sort of glee in his eyes.

"Sebastian found her for me," the master says. "When my parents died, most of the servants perished in the fire. The surviving staff left. Tanaka was the only one who remained by my side. I was still short on staff. So, I had Sebastian hire Baldroy and Mey-Rin for me."

"A Japanese man?" Lord Ilario's eyes wide in surprise. "I didn't expect them to still be allowed in England, considering that they are now public enemies of the war."

"Tanaka has been in my family for many years," the master points out, "So, he has nothing to do with the war. I know that some of the Japanese are being sent to internment camps because they're believed to be spies which is complete nonsense. But as long as he lives in this manor, he won't be sent to any damn prison camp."

"And what about your maid? Is she Japanese as well?"

The master shakes his head. "Mey-Rin is from China."

"Does she not feel uncomfortable working alongside a Japanese man? The papers say that China and Japan are also at war with each other ―"

"As I said, before. Neither have to do anything with the war so they have no reason to despise each other. Mey-Rin and Tanaka get along just fine. So, I wouldn't try asking indecent questions in front of my staff if I were you. They get easily offended."

I keep my head down but I feel my blood boiling inside. I would really like to smash the teapot on Lord Ilario's head to make such insolent questions. But I simply try not to make eye contact with him. I sigh and go back to my place.

"Yes, of course." Lord Ilario says, "Now about the company ―"

"Before we discuss that, we must finish the game," the master says, as cold as ever.

Cold as the knife I might drive through the Italian man's throat if he doesn't shut up about the company in India.

"Oh, yes. I do have a pressing appointment though. Perhaps another time ―"

"Children can be very demanding with their games. Surely, you don't want me to get upset," the master smiles this time. It's not a real smile though. It's more like a smirk. Those kinds of smiles mean bad news.

"No, of course not," Lord Ilario says apologetically. "Perhaps, you'll allow me to make a phone call first."

"Go ahead. Be my guest."

Lord Ilario gets up from his seat and leaves the library.

That was strange.

I pour the young master another fresh cup of tea. The young master takes the cup to his lips but doesn't drink it. He sniffs it and makes a disgusted face.

"What is this?" he asks. "It smells terribly weak."

I look at Sebastian, hoping he'll answer the young lord's question for me. I don't know what tea I'm serving him. I'm just following orders, nothing more.

"Out of consideration for our guest, I brought some Italian tea," he answers.

"Italian?" the master asks, his face still wrinkled.

"Italians drink more coffee than tea, sir. Finding high-quality Italian tea was difficult. This particular selection does not suit your liking, I suppose."

The master glares at the tea once more. "No, it's not. I don't like it at all."

"Apologies. I shall see to the dessert preparations," Sebastian bows his head.

The master nods return and smirks. "Good. We must show Lord Ilario every available hospitality. The Phantomhive family is known for its courtesy."

"Yes, my young lord."

The master then turns to me. "Bring me some earl grey. I want to wash this bad taste from my mouth."

"Yes, master." I bow my head before leaving the library.

That was the most uncomfortable situation I ever witnessed in my entire life. Though it wasn't the first time I was in a position I didn't like being in.

* * *

As I walk down the corridor with the tea tray in my arms, I suddenly hear talking in one of the rooms nearby. The telephone booth, to be exact. According to Sebastian, the booth has been in the manor since 1888. Despite there being telephones installed around the house, the master decided to keep the telephone booth for the guests to make private phone calls.

I had no intention of eavesdropping but judging by the accent, I can tell that it's Lord Ilario talking on the phone.

"I'm tired of babysitting this child earl…Are you sure I can't just kill him?... Yes, I've already sold off the factory to the Germans. Now they'll have enough factories to produce their weapons…Now all is left for me is to squeeze more money out of the brat right now…The employees? Who cares about them? Kick them to the street if you like. And if any of them tries to warn the earl, we can just shoot them all."

I put my hand over my mouth to hold back a gasp. Lord Ilario sold my master's factory to the Germans. And now plans to steal money from him. He's been deceiving my master this entire time. I need to tell him quickly.

I quietly walk past the telephone booth. I don't want Lord Ilario hearing me. One of my feet throws me off balance once more. I trip to the side but quickly regain balance. However, this doesn't stop the teapot from falling. It shatters loudly against the carpeted floor and earl grey spills everywhere. I close my eyes tightly and curse at my mistake.

_Fuck_.

I immediately turn around to see Lord Ilario come out of the telephone booth. We both stare at each other for a moment, my eyes widen in fear and Lord Ilario's in shock.

I try to make a run for it. Unfortunately, I'm not fast enough. Lord Ilario grabs me by the upper arm, stopping me from running any further. I get slammed against the wall and his hand wraps around my throat in a tight squeeze.

"How much did you hear!?" he snaps at me.

I shake my head in panic. "I didn't hear anything, honest."

"Liar!" He slams me against the wall once more. "I'm going to make sure you stay quiet, girl!"

I try to scream but Lord Ilario puts his hand over my mouth to silence me and squeezes my throat tighter, trying to choke me.

Reacting fast, I kick Lord Ilario in the balls. He cries out in pain and lets go of me. Snarling in anger, I jump up and wrap my leg around his neck, quickly throwing him down to the ground. I grab one of the shards from the teapot. I scream in rage as I aim to stab Lord Ilario in the face, only to have my wrist grabbed by Sebastian. I look at him over my shoulder. I now realize that my body is shaking from the anger and adrenaline coursing through. I look at my hand, seeing the edges of the shard digging into my flesh.

"Mey-Rin, enough," Sebastian says calmly.

Shocked at what I almost did, I let go of the shard.

"What's going on here!?" The master shouts as he appears in the hallway, appearing quite displeased from the commotion.

I quickly rush to the master and fall to his feet. "Master, please forgive me! Please forgive me."

"What happened?"

"Don't believe anything that wretched girl says!" Lord Ilario snaps angrily. "She attacked me first."

Tears fall down my face as I cry. "I overheard him saying that he sold your factory to the Germans and is trying to take money from you but asking more."

"She's lying!"

"That's enough!" The master yells angrily before turning to Sebastian, "Get her out of here. Now!"

Sebastian bows his head. "Yes, my lord. Come along, dear." He pulls me up and leads me away from the corridors, leaving the master alone with the bastard of Lord Ilario.

"We can't leave him alone, Sebastian," I tell him.

"Trust me, he'll be fine," he says.

* * *

I hiss as Sebastian presses a damp cloth against my bruised neck, purple blotches decorating my skin.

"I have spoken to the master," he says, "Lord Ilario will be leaving tomorrow and will never return to this place ever again. Still, you should be more careful. If he ever comes near you again, call me."

"I'm sorry," I say and hiss once more as the cloth touches my neck again.

"What else did you hear from Lord Ilario?" he asks.

"Nothing else, sir. Only what I told you and the master. I was going to tell the young lord when Lord Ilario attacked me."

"Well, you don't have to worry about him anymore."

"I worry for the young master."

"I'm sure the young master can take care of himself," he assures me.

I smile a little. "I'm sure he can. But that's not what I meant. When you took me in, I promised to protect the Phantomhive Manor."

"You've done a good job so far," he says.

"…Thank you," I say, smiling and taking his hand in mine.

Sebastian frowns at this gesture before retracting his hand. He bows before leaving my bedroom. I don't understand. Did I say something wrong?

Sighing tiredly, I take off my glasses and put them on the nightstand before curling up in the bed in a fetal position. I know Sebastian will never respond to me even if I ask. Neither will the master. Never a _thank you_, _please_ or _you're welcome_. That's just how it is.

* * *

The next morning, I dress up in my uniform and immediately get to work. Sebastian has given me instant orders to clean Lord Ilario's bedroom. After what happened last night, I hesitated at first, but I obey.

To my luck, Lord Ilario is nowhere to be seen once I enter the bedroom. I sigh in relief before getting to work. I wipe the dust from the dresser with the feather duster and sweep the floor. I make the bed though there isn't much to make. It doesn't look like he slept in here last night. How odd. If he left the manor before dawn, then good riddance. I prefer to never see that man ever gain.

As I walk past the master's office, I once again catch wind of the master's conversation to someone. Since Sebastian is tending to breakfast with Bard, I assume the master is talking on the telephone.

"Yes…Burn it all. I can't have those nationalists using my factory to manufacture weapons. I will not allow it. If the factory is no longer mine, it will belong to no one. So, burn it to the ground. That's the best you can do for me…Send them home. It's the only thing I can do for them. They'll have to find work somewhere else for the time-being. It will be a headache for them. It's a headache for me too but I'll make sure they're compensated for their hard work…Yes, burn it down."

I stand there, completely shocked. So, the master will burn his factory down to stop German Nationalists from using it to manufacture weapons? Holy shit. It certainly is an extreme measure to take. But perhaps, maybe it might be the best decision the master can make.

I quickly go downstairs to the kitchen to help Baldroy clean the dishes. He and Sebastian already occupied cooking breakfast and lunch for the young lord, might as well do him a small favour.

Baldroy is cutting a liver, his apron now covered in meat grease, while Sebastian is preparing some sort of sauce.

Baldroy looks up at me and smiles. "Morning, Mey-Rin. We're going to have duck liver for breakfast.

I smile back. "Morning, Bard."

"Hey, Sebastian, where did you get the duck liver?" he asks. "We don't have ducks around the manor."

"I bought them at the market this morning," Sebastian answers.

"I didn't know the market would open so early today," Bard says.

"Keep slicing the liver, Baldroy. One wrong move and you'll ruin the master's breakfast," Sebastian says with a warning tone in his voice.

"All right, all right. Sheesh," Bard says before continuing to slice the liver.

Rolling my eyes, I head over to the sink to wash the dishes, only to find the sink completely empty and the dishes set on the drying rack already clean from any food spots. I glare at Bard. "Bard, I told you I'd wash the dishes."

"Well, after what happened last night with Lord Ilario, I thought it would be best not to overwork yourself," he says, "I swear, if I see that bastard again, I'll grab this knife and chop his wanker off."

I smile a little. He's always trying to protect me, isn't he? Like I'm some sort of child or a sister to him. Sometimes, he can be a bit too overprotective.

"That's not necessary," Sebastian says, "Lord Ilario is no longer here. He left early in the morning."

"That's good," Bard says.

"I needed a distraction after last night, and you ruined it," I say, "Now, I need to find something else to distract me."

"I have something for you to do," Sebastian says, "There has been an accident in the wine cellar. I dropped one of the bottles and there is wine everywhere. I need you to clean up the mess for me."

Baldroy raises an eyebrow. "You dropped a wine bottle? That's hard to believe."

"Even first-rate butlers can have accidents, Bard," Sebastian says. "Now, Mey-Rin, go and grab a sponge and bucket. There's Bon Ami powder in the supply closet you can use to clean up the mess easier. Be sure to wear gloves as well."

Nodding, I go to do just as he says.

I go down to the wine cellar with the cleaning products. My eyes grow wide once more when I see a significant amount of wine spilled all over the floor. Holy shit. It's like a murder happened here. All right then. Let's get to it. I put on a pair of latex gloves, fold my sleeves to my elbows and wrap black trash-bag around my skirt to not stain it while scrubbing the floor.

I start cleaning up the mess. First, I pour Bon Ami powder over the stains so they can be absorbed and cleaned easier. I then scrub the floor with the soaked yellow sponge.

However, I notice something interesting. The wine seems to come off too easily. It usually takes a while to clean wine from the floor. They get the floor sticky in minutes. But here, I'm able to clean the wine in one sweep. And then there's the scent. Yes, it smells like red wine. But there's another scent mixed into it. A scent I find terribly familiar. Is this blood? No, no it can't be blood. I must be mistaken. Maybe my nose needs fixing. This can't be blood.

"Is everything all right?" I hear Sebastian ask.

I look up at the stairwell where he stands. He seems to stare down at me coldly. And his eyes seem to have changed colour. I gulp and nod my head. He doesn't look very happy. He seems to be suspicious of me. As if I did something wrong. As if I saw something I wasn't supposed to see.

"Y-yes, sir."

He sighs. "Very well. Finish cleaning up. I have made foie gras for breakfast."

"Foielewhat?" I ask.

He rolls his eyes. "Foie gras. Duck liver."

I frown a little. "But we don't have ducks ―"

"I've already made some for the master. The rest are prepared for the rest of us."

"Um, okay," I say.

After I finish cleaning, I go upstairs to have breakfast. For some reason, I have the knot in my stomach getting tight again. It's an uneasy feeling I'm having and I don't like it. Why do I have this feeling? Is it because of the wine? Is it because I thought it might have been blood? Or is it the way Sebastian stared at me? How his eyes seemed to have changed colour when he looked at me with a cold and stern glare. Maybe that's why I have this uneasy feeling.

Breakfast is already served on the table. Baldroy and Tanaka have already started eating. I sit at the table and stare at the plate in front of me. Sebastian says it's foie gras with mustard seeds and green beans in duck jus. But something about the dish makes my stomach tighten even more and makes my hand hesitate from picking up the fork.

"You okay, Mey-Rin?" Baldroy asks, "You look a little pale. Did you see a ghost or something?"

I smile slightly. "If I have, I'd be running for the hills and not sitting here."

"Well, you should eat before your breakfast gets cold. Sebastian wants us back to work after we finish our meals."

I nod and begin to eat. It doesn't really taste like duck. It tastes different. Very different. I know there are no ducks in the farm so this can't be duck liver. Can it be chicken?

"I hope the meal is to your liking," Sebastian says. "The master enjoyed it so much, he thought you should have some as well."

I immediately take notice of something. Why is Sebastian not eating?

"Are you not going to have breakfast with us, sir?" I ask.

"I already ate earlier before starting work. But thank you," he says with a kind smile.

The others and I proceed to eat. I bite into the foie gras but before I can swallow it, I start choking. I cough and hold my hands to my throat. What the fuck is this?

"Mey-Rin, what is it?" Bard asks worriedly. He reaches out but I quickly smack his hand away and shake my head vigorously.

I can't breathe!

Quickly getting up from the table, I rush to the nearby washroom. Something is stuck in my throat. I need to get it out of me. Standing in front of the sink, I stick my fingers into my mouth and reach for whatever is stuck in the back of my throat. Tears fall down my cheeks. It's hurting so much. I can't breathe. When I reach the back of my throat, I gag and ultimately, I vomit into the sink. I cough and take a deep breath. Thank goodness. I can breathe again. But what the hell was that? Did I just choke on a bone or something?

Looking down at the sink, I gasp at the sight of a chewed finger near the drain. An actual human finger. I was choking on a human finger. It was in the liver. And I was eating it. Why was there a human finger in my breakfast?

Wait a minute…The smell of blood mixed in with the wine. Bard slicing the liver with Sebastian. Sebastian never answered Bard when he asked where the duck liver came from. How Lord Ilario simply disappeared before morning.

"Oh my God…" My head becomes light and fuzzy, and my knees weaken. Before I know it, I fall to the tiled floor. As my vision darkens, I realize that what Sebastian fed us was not duck liver. It was a human liver stuffed with other cooked body parts. It was Lord Ilario.


End file.
